Faeries in Negima
by Elsil
Summary: With the end of the mission to the Sun Village it was thought to be a time to relax. Then Zeref strikes early and magics clash! Fairy Tail's Strongest Team is suddenly tossed into the world of Negima. Join the Fairy Tail crew as they fight to reunite with each other and aid Negi in fighting against the darkness growing in the roots of the world. Multi-Pairings. Slow Burn.
1. Arc 1: Bonds of Golden Fire

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 1**

 **Bonds of Golden Fire**

Nestled within the secluded hot spring behind his home, the old wizard Warrod gave a sigh of pleasure as he submerged himself in the steaming water. Building himself a private hot-spring bath had been done on a whim almost a decade ago, and it had turned out to have been one of his better ideas. The calming heat soothed his aching body in a way which nothing else could match.

A typical night would see him soaking in the bath for a short time before he went to sleep. Yet tonight was different. On this evening, Warrod had guests with whom to share its pleasure. Guests who came from the guild he had helped found almost a century ago and who were even now demonstrating that its wild spirit still burned bright.

The young flame wizard, Natsu, had just given an impassioned speech on how he would defeat Zeref's demons. The young man had hollered and yelled as his fists waved in the cool night air. The boy's passion burned as bright as the fire magic he wielded, warming the old man's heart as he listened.

For the youngster's determination was infectious and Warrod would not see it crushed by doubt over things that were long since done. He was certain that even Mavis herself would have smiled at the boy's words and joined him in his fight.

Warrod sighed to himself once again and shifted his head, moving it out of the path of a flying sword. In the course of giving his impassioned speech, the boy had not paid attention to where he had thrown his hands while speaking. If Warrod were to guess, and he was certain that his guess would indeed be proven correct, the night was about to grow more entertaining. The young boy had made the mistake of hitting his redheaded companion and now looked to be in serious trouble.

He watched as the pink-haired dragon-slayer backpedaled away from the angry redhead as she rose from the flagstones. The sword she had just flung at his head quickly returning to her hand. Natsu's expression paled as the fury on her face deepened. Fury which was just about to erupt.

" _Naaaa-tsuuuuu!_ " The woman growled out. "It is time for you to receive your punishment!"

"Erza, wait, _no_ , I didn't -"

" _Die!_ "

Warrod and the other fairies laughed as the naked redhead assaulted the equally naked pinkette with righteous vengeance. The bond between those two was especially strong to Warrod's eyes, with the flavors of childhood and battle mixed together. The woman's current rage was built upon a foundation of love and respect for her errant comrade, and this powerful foundation shone through as clear and bright as the noonday sun to the elderly Mage's eyes. It was present within each of the fairies gathered in the springs, as they laughed and shouted out suggestions and ideas to their quarreling comrades. The scene transported the elder mage to days long past. Days when he had been a young mage on an adventure with a motley crew, a crew whose hopes and aspirations were higher than the stars themselves.

Mavis and her successors had done well in bringing the founders' shared dream to fruition. The elderly mage had seen many things over the years as he rose within the ranks of magic. Many of which were quite terrible. Many of which were good. Yet in all those years, Warrod had seen nothing in this world which could outshine the bonds forged between true mages of Fairy Tail.

"Erza, please, my head can't do that. It really can't!"

"Ho. Is that so, Natsu?" Erza muttered darkly. "Then strop your struggles and accept your fate!"

The redheaded woman had a fearsome look on her face as she used two hands to squish Natsu's head like an overripe grape. The woman briefly let go of him after she spoke and in a shower of light invoked her Re-Quip magic. A sturdy leather whip appeared in her hands as her tone of voice darkened further.

"You still dare talk back to me? Know your place!"

Warrod heard the whip snap and winced. _O_ _h well_ , he thought to himself. The boy was young, and from what the old mage had garnered from listening to people such play was only growing in popularity among the youngsters these days. Everyone sought pleasure in their own way and he was not one to judge them for it.

Although, with that thought in mind, Warrod might as well take advantage of the situation to gain some pleasure of a different sort. He waited until the young woman had finished her actions.

"I have some fruit that could fix that for you later," he told a groaning Natsu. "Would you be interested?"

The boy looked up with hope written all over his handsome features. " _Really?_ "

The old mage showed his teeth as he smiled. This was too easy. "No. That was a joke."

"Argh! Don't screw with me you old geezer! I'm seriously going to die right now!"

"Aye sir! Natsu's face looks like a ripe tomato right now. I think that Erza should pop it and see what happens."

"Quiet Happy! She doesn't need any more ideas."

Warrod's smile widened as he watched Erza bring out a massive pair of blunt pincers from her personal store of weapons and step closer to the pinkette. The woman had apparently agreed with the blue cat's suggestion and intended to see what would happen. Meanwhile, the boy's reddened face paled once again at the sight of it. He scrambled to his feet and started to run away as the cat and Erza called out for him to stay put.

Elsewhere in the pool the ice wizard Gray quietly joined his remaining guild mates; the blonde haired celestial spirit mage named Lucy and Wendy, the young Sky Dragon Slayer with blue hair. For a brief moment nothing happened as the three joined Warrod in watching the antics of Erza and Natsu. Then, seemingly from out of nowhere, Lucy screamed and grabbed the blue cat to shield her body.

"Lucy!" Happy spluttered as water splashed his face from the girl's movements. "My body isn't meant to hide your fetishes."

"Shut it, Happy!" The busty blonde responded with a blush. "My body is too young and beautiful to be violated by a pervert like Gray! And I don't have any fetishes, you stupid cat!"

A flash of light flared into being as those words left the girl's mouth. A celestial spirit – Virgo, if Warrod was any judge of things – popped into view beside Lucy. Clad in a stunning black bathing suit which left little to the imagination, the spirit immediately chimed into the conversation.

"But you do, princess. In fact, you have a multitude of them," the spirit said flatly. "To begin you have a whip like Erza's and you often undress when -"

" _Forced Gate Closure_ _ _!__ " Lucy cried out, swiping a key that she produced from beneath the water. The spirit disappeared in another flash of light. "No one asked your opinion!"

Meanwhile Gray scowled at Lucy and gave voice to his displeasure. "Oi, Lucy, stop calling me a pervert, you dumb ass. Virgo was right; you're naked almost as often as I am." The dark-haired boy's scowl deepened. "At least I have an excuse. My master trained me this way. You're just a free spirited stripper."

Lucy's head snapped back to face Gray again. "I am not dumb, you pathological stripping pervert. And unlike you I don't strip by choice!" Lucy whined as she desperately tried to find a bush or rock to hide behind. The blue cat had started to struggle in her grasp and no longer covered everything of importance. "Everyone always takes my clothes off. Like that damn pink pervert currently getting punished by Erza."

Happy covered his mouth with one paw as he twisted around to stare into her eyes. "And yet no one ever touches what's underneath, pffft!"

Warrod finally let loose a hearty, belly deep laugh at the cat's remark. Ah, but those had been the wrong words to say.

Lucy's grip visibly firmed as the young woman plunged the blue cat face first into the water. " _Die, Happy, die!_ "

At this point the other two girls, Wendy and the white cat named Carla chimed in as well. The blue-haired girl was worried over Happy's safety, while the cat seemed to be cheering Lucy's actions. Gray, meanwhile, just stared at them all in apparent boredom as he sipped water from a glass of magicked ice.

 _Ah_ , Warrod thought to himself as he watched the byplay continue, _to be young again_. _Contracting my old guild to take this mission was one of my better ideas_. _Nearly as good as creating this wonderful hot-spring._

Warrod was glad that he had sent the mission request to Fairy Tail. His wish to save the Sun Village had turned out better than he had thought possible. He had initially requested two who represented the guild's spirit for the mission to save the frozen village. He had instead received not two but seven amazing Fairies.

The antics of Fairy Tail's mages continued under the starry night skies. The scarlet haired woman mercilessly beat down her pink-haired companion as the blue-haired girl tried to calm the older woman down. Happy grabbed Lucy's keys, and with them, convinced Gemini to play with Gray while transformed as Lucy. Gray tried to run away but knocked Erza down in the middle of her assault on Natsu, forcing the ice mage to share the fire breather's gruesome fate. Warrod soon found himself joining in as well. He stepped closer to them with a rock in one of his hands, offering it to whomever proved themselves worthy of his three tests. All of the young mages stared at him uneasily until he announced that it was a joke. Then they all tried to drown him.

The mages laughed and played in the steaming water for what felt like an eternity. They fought and they cried as they spoke, telling stories of dreams shared and comrades gained deep into the night. They were Fairy Tail, the guild filled with bonds of golden fire.

* * *

The laughter shared between them almost made Warrod miss the vanishing of a spell-ward. For a moment he hesitated. The ward was his weakest and it was possible that it had failed on its own, or had encountered a rogue magical beast of some kind. Then a second ward fell and a third soon after, leaving only five intact. With three wards failing, it was clear that the cause was a person. Whoever, or _whatever_ , it was, they were moving fast. Warrod had never felt anything like it.

By the time he was able to make contact with the first ward's remaining essence a fourth ward had failed. The person was moving through them at a blistering pace that a Saint level wizard would be hard pressed to imitate. Yet the second he was able to feel the ward's essence and learned the identity of the one who was causing this destruction, Warrod wished that it was only a mere Wizard Saint coming to call on his door.

The attacker's identity was the most dangerous wizard the world had ever known; _Zeref!_ The most powerful dark wizard in this world and the man who had taught Fairy Tail's founders how to wield magic so many years ago. Nearly a hundred years had passed since those days, but there were some magical presences one never grew too old to remember.

Warrod stood up, his back suddenly as straight as a metal rod, and stepped out of the spring, stretching his senses throughout the plants of his abode. With Zeref coming towards him, ripping apart powerful wards as though they were nothing, Warrod had to move quickly.

To make matters worse, the old mage could feel multiple other beings, each reeking of their own dark magic, closing in on the house as well. They were a ways off yet, but were approaching quickly. Warrod stretched his sense to their limit, trying to get a better handle on the situation.

Two were close to Zeref's location. One of the presences felt of fire. The other one felt of ice. Both were in close proximity to each other. As for the others... Warrod could not grasp their numbers or abilities, and that worried him. They were scattered in every direction and creeping closer at a constant rate, and if Warrod judged it correctly, were moving together in an organized pattern.

Warrod felt his spirit begin to drop. The only reason for such a maneuver was to cut off any avenue of escape from those caught within its grasp. If he and those with him were to try and escape then it was likely that the net would constrict around them, stopping or slowing their movements. If Zeref caught up to them in such a situation there would be little chance of survival.

Even Warrod, one of the so-called 'Four Gods of Ishgar', the four mightiest mages in all of Fiore, was as nothing before the might of Zeref.

With that thought chief in mind, Warrod took final stock of his options. None of which looked particularly grand.

Neither fight nor flight would work in this situation. The first would result in their annihilation. The second would turn into the first after only a short while and inevitably lead to the same conclusion.

Warrod needed a third option, and thanks to his old friend Mavis, such an option existed.

Warrod made his choice and pulled his consciousness back into his body. Time was of the essence.

He turned his attention to the young mages splashing around and clapped his hands together. The magically amplified sound sound cut through the humid night air.

"Mages of Fairy Tail," Warrod snapped grimly as he gathered his power. "Gather to me. Enemies approach and there is not much time before they are upon us."

A pause filled the air, soon broken by Gray and Natsu's synchronized muttering.

"Huh? This isn't one of your lame jokes now, is it? You senile old fart." The two boys said in unison.

Warrod spared a brief moment to curse his sense of humor but moved on quickly. He could not allow their disbelief to slow them down any further.

"This is not a joke," Warrod said harshly. "Now, move!"

Using his tone seemed to have worked, for the remaining merriment left their eyes.

Erza was the first to react. Re-quipping a silver battle suit upon her skin, the young woman moved to Warrod's side with the savage grace of a warrior heading into battle. The others soon followed suit with young Natsu giving a growl and a grunted curse as Lucy grabbed his white scarf from a nearby rock. The blonde haired girl ran to his side and handed the boy his scarf, joining Gray and the others in a line behind Erza as she completed the transaction.

Warrod glanced around, judging their combined powers once more and reaching the same unhappy conclusion. The strength gathered in this spring was not great enough to stand against the approaching threat. It was not even close. The dark mage would rip through the members of Fairy Tail like a hot sword slicing through paper, and Warrod himself could not hope to withstand the dark mage's powers for any length of time.

The only path forward was the one forged by Mavis all those years ago. He could only hope that it was still within his ability to cast the spell.

From her spot in line Lucy muttered under her breath as she held a small towel pressed against her body. "Natsu, Gray, don't you dare look at Wendy or me. Keep your eyes shut until we find some clothes."

Gray shook his head in annoyance. "Like I said earlier, Lucy," the dark haired man spoke, "it's nothing we haven't seen before from either of you. Besides, there's something more important at the moment anyway."

The boy turned his attention to Warrod. "Hey, you old geezer, are you sure that something bad is headed our way? I can't sense a thing out there."

"Yes, young one, I am certain." Warrod said sadly. How he wished that he could tell them otherwise. "The time for jokes is over. Zeref is coming, and I only know of one way to defend against him. I must use Mavis' spell of ultimate defense. _Fairy Sphere_."

The faces of the mages at his side grew pale. Natsu and Erza looked angered while both Wendy and Lucy jerked their hands out of the grasps of their friends. Warrod had expected his words to get a reaction out of them, but not anything like this. What could have caused it?

It all became clear to him as soon as the blue-haired girl spoke. "No," Wendy said in a horrified tone. The girl pressed both hands to her mouth as her eyes grew wide. "Not that. Please don't use that spell. We don't need to leave our comrades behind again. Abandoning our comrades for seven long years... I-I don't know if I could do it to everyone else a second time."

"So that's what happened on Tenrou Island," Warrod murmured to himself. The young girl's words made him hesitate as the pieces of a long unsolved puzzle began to coalesce. If _Fairy Sphere_ had been used on Tenrou Island of all places, _and_ Zeref had also awakened, then it was likely that the first master had also awakened.

If only she was nearby, maybe they would have stood a chance the dark wizard.

Erza took Warrod's silence voice her own opinion.

"Elder," she said forcefully. "Respectfully, sir, I believe that spell cannot be our only option. With our powers combined, and you leading us as our captain, we could fight anything on this planet."

Natsu's nostrils flared with flame as he agreed with the redheaded mage at his side. "Hell yeah! No way is there a single mage on this planet who could stop us all. Hell, we could take on a dragon with Wendy and me! Even Ice-pants, Carla, and Happy would chip in if something like that happened."

Gray raised an eyebrow at the other man's words. "Don't make me freeze your dick off, Natsu."

"Aw, shut it Gray. Besides," Natsu said with a low growl, "I owe Zeref for damaging my scarf. No way am I letting him walk off easy after he almost broke Igneel's gift to me."

"Aye, sir!"

"Ha! Tell 'em Happy!"

For a moment, as Warrod stared into their eyes, the old mage allowed himself to believe that they might be right.

Touched by their dedication and spirit, he reconsidered his options. Zeref, for all his power, was not omnipotent. Perhaps he was wrong and they could triumph after all. Maybe Mavis' predictions were also wrong, and the young Fairies had grown strong enough to handle this great test.

Then a slow, steady clap filled the air, gripping Warrod's heart with its steady beat. Its sound signified that they had waited too long.

"Well spoken, Natsu. I would expect no less from the son of Igneel," spoke a calm, lighthearted voice. "But you have failed to live up to my expectations in time, and alas, events are forcing me to hasten my plans."

It was Zeref who spoke as he stood at the doorway to Warrod's home. Clad in dark robes, the man looked as though he had not aged a day since Warrod had last seen him.

Stopping his clap, the dark mage stretched out his hands towards the group of Fairies. The air began to hum with power. The look of utter calm never left his eyes as the magic of death flowed forth towards the Fairies. "Begone."

" _Get down_!" Warrod cried out. Gathering every ounce of energy he possessed, the ancient mage summoned a wall of wood to block Zeref's deadly magic. A barrier formed of life to block Zeref's magic of death, and a spell passed onto Warrod by the very mage he now strove to defeat.

The wall shot upwards from the ground faster than the eye could follow. Great trunks and boughs ripped through the ground, sending shards of stone shooting through the air as the stone flooring was torn apart. A hiss of pain from behind him told Warrod that at least one stone shard had found its way into someone's skin.

Yet it was a price the elder mage was willing to pay. For the wall he had summoned held firm against Zeref's dark spell.

"Not bad, Warrod," Zeref called out from behind the wooden barrier. The man's magic welled up again as the dark mage gathered his strength for another attack. "You have gotten better over the years. But this wall of wood will not save you for long."

With a thrum Warrod felt in his body, the dark mage's attack redoubled in strength.

The elder wood mage threw his arms wide and forced the wall to change. It would not last the way it was, and to contain the dark magic assaulting it a new form was needed. Warrod shaped the magic, and just before his barrier collapsed, finished the spell. A flash of green light filled the hot-spring as the magic took effect.

From the wall's sturdy trunks grew a cage of branches which quickly stretched around the dark magus. Their brown limbs flew outwards before wrapping inside, trapping Zeref within their embrace as they entwined. The power contained within them would reduce the flow of magic to the one trapped within their embrace. It would hopefully buy Warrod and the others time they would need to cast Fairy Sphere.

As Warrod's spell reached completion the ground beneath the cage began to cave in. Zeref had redirected his magic and now sought to undo the spell at its roots. With sweat dripping down his face, Warrod forced his spell's roots to surge out, racing against Zeref's power. As Zeref unmade Warrod's spell, Warrod constantly remade it. Their two magics, magics of life and death, struggled against one another for supremacy in a back and forth which would end in one of their deaths. The one with the greater stamina would win this fight. Something that Warrod feared was, for the first time in decades, not in his favor.

Suddenly fire and ice flashed around his back, flaring so bright and fast that Warrod had no time to react. The spells struck behind Warrod's back, drawing a pained cry from the cat Carla and sending at least one other to the ground in a meaty thud. Warrod flinched as flames touched his right shoulder before quickly disappearing. The ice spell's cold lingered longer, chilling his left side. It appeared that those he had sensed following behind Zeref had just made their presence known.

"Dammit!" Natsu yelled beside the elderly mage. The young man had most likely been the cause of the fire's disappearance, using the potent magic of his dragon father to devour the flames of his enemy. "That blast came too fast to get all of it. You guys okay?"

Murmurs of assent came, but Warrod couldn't tell who it was speaking. He twisted his head back to take a look. Thankfully none of them seemed to be wounded.

The young blonde Lucy, along with the two cats, were picking themselves off of the ground and touching their singed hair. The three of them looked shaken up but healthy. Standing above them, the ice mage Gray gave a shudder. A dozen spear points of ice were halted a fingers width distance from his face, stopped only by a sword held in Erza's hand.

The redhead appeared to have cut into the ice in midstream, forcing it to split and halting its momentum long enough for the dark-haired ice mage to completely end the assault. Both she and the other girl, Wendy, looked to be untouched by the twin assaults.

"We're okay Natsu." Gray said as he shattered the spears of ice trapping Erza's blade. The dark-haired man's head swiveled around as he looked into the night. "Did anyone see where that shit came from?"

Natsu and the rest shook their heads, but it seemed that one of the youngsters had seen the sources of the twin attacks.

Erza lifted her newly freed sword and pointed towards the sides of Warrod's house. Her voice rang out as with authority as she called out instructions and pointed in two directions.

"There, and there, one man on each side. The blast of Ice came from the left while the fire came in from the right. Gray, Natsu, the two of you split up and take them out. We're too concentrated in our current position. Leave the center to Wendy, Carla and me. Everyone else; pick a partner and move out."

"Alright Happy, let's move out."

"Rodger that, Natsu!"

"Then that leaves you and me, Lucy."

"Argh! Fine. Just as long as you keep your eyes pointed forward the entire time you pervert."

With their decisions made the mages of Fairy Tail split up and set off. Lucy tried to grab Natsu's clothes on her way out, but a look from Erza sent the blonde haired mage running after Gray. Warrod tried to call out to stop them from leaving, but his voice failed him.

The old wizard's struggle against Zeref's magic was too great. Despite the cage's magic blocking ability, the dark mage had renewed his assault. It was taking all of Warrod's might to stop his old teacher from breaking out of the cage and killing them all.

He could only mouth the words he wanted to yell and listen helplessly as they scattered into the night.

It could only be a short matter of time before the sounds of battle rang as Fairies and Demons met in combat.

* * *

Natsu and Happy took to the air and shot off towards the group's right. "Ne, Natsu, is this the direction of the fire user?"

Natsu nodded his head. "I'm pretty sure it is. I caught a whiff of smoke from this direction before the wind shifted, and this is where Erza said it came from too. Whoever the bastard is he's mine. Ah! Look there!" Natsu spotted a figure flanking the group's right, trying to stay of Erza's line of sight. He pointed a hand at it to focus his partner's attention. "Let's go, Happy! Dive-bomb attack"

"Aye!" The blue cat cried.

" _Fire Dragon's_ _-"_ Natsu began.

Below them, the figure finished his flanking maneuver. Sighting his targets, the man smiled and raised his hands.

"- _Slash!_ " finished Natsu with a roar.

With a thud and a blast of fire, Natsu's attack sent the man went flying into the thick forest behind Warrod's house. Natsu grinned triumphantly while raising a blazing fist. "If that's all he's got then this'll be a piece of cake, Happy."

"Or a yummy fish, aye!"

* * *

Gray and Lucy were in hot pursuit of a fleeing shadow. They had picked up the figure's movement shortly after a loud boom had sounded from the other side of Warrod's home and had pursued it for the last two minutes. Yet something wasn't right.

Suddenly uncomfortable with the situation, Gray placed a hand behind him and touched Lucy's shoulder. Her momentum stopped, and as he turned his head to meet her eyes, Gray saw her mouth close. Lucy had seen the look of unease in his eyes and, thankfully, stilled her voice.

The shadowy figure he and Lucy were pursuing had never varied its distance from them once during their pursuit of it. Even now Gray could see it lingering within sight, and seeing it there confirmed Gray's instincts.

 _Shit!_

"Lucy – it's a trap! _Ice Make –_ _Dome_ _ _!__ " Gray yelled. He slammed his hands together, his closed right fist crashing into an open left palm. An ice barrier sprang up around himself and Lucy, enclosing them against an attack from any angle.

The defensive shield sprang up just in time. A crashing wave of ice came rolling in from three sides, crashing against Gray's barrier and threatening to crush it.

"Lucy, I need some backup." Gray grunted out as a second wave crashed into the barrier. Cracks shot through the ice as it began to buckle. "This guy is good."

Lucy nodded and held up a golden key. "I'm on it! _Gate of the Lion – Open_!" A brilliant flash lit the surrounding trees, illuminating Lucy and Gray's faces as a dashingly dressed man in shades appeared.

His golden hair rustled in the air currents released from the summoning spell, but for all of his impressive appearance the man's slightly foolish smile ruined the entrance. This feeling was only confirmed when the man placed an arm around his master's bare waist and drew her close.

Gray tamped down his annoyance. Womanizer that Loki was, the leader of the twelve Zodiac spirits was a dependable fighter and a good friend. The spirit just needed to be focused on the situation at hand.

"Enough of the flirting Loki." Gray said. "We've got an enemy out there and I'll need your help to deal with him." He could feel the force behind the enemy's ice magic fading, which was a surefire sign of an incoming attack. They needed to launch their own counter-assault before that happened. "We don't have long before the next attack hits so get your shit in gear and hop to it man."

The only spirit member of Fairy Tail grinned at Gray's words. "So this guy is tough enough to make you nervous, eh Gray? Don't worry about it. I'll take out anyone who tries to harm my golden princess, even if she is cheating on me with you, partner."

Lucy squawked in indignation at her spirit's words. " _What?_ I am _not_ _cheating_ on anyone with anyone, you stupid spirit! So just shut up and kick the ass of whoever is throwing this ice at us."

"As my Princess commands, Lucy."

Golden light flared into life as Loki finished speaking. The magical power of Regulus, the spirit's lifeblood and source of strength, lit up the night.

The spirit turned his attention to Gray. "Combo number eight?"

Gray nodded. The spirit was referring to one of the combination abilities they had worked on before the guild test on Tenrou Island. They hadn't had a chance to use it back then, but all of that preparation would come in handy this time.

Gray squared his shoulders and prepared his spells. "On my count, Loki," he said. Magic began to build up in his body, urging to be released. A cold frost began to glitter in the air around him. "Let's get this over with quickly. Three… two… one… mark!"

 _Boom!_ The barrier of ice, which had shielded them from the enemy's assaults, shattered outwards with explosive force. Shards of sharpened ice tore into the darkened forest in a deadly hail as they sliced into anything in their path. A cacophony of cracking and crashing noises followed as the dense foliage surrounding them absorbed the brunt of damage. All of which was secondary to its main purpose; to distract the enemy and leave them off balance for Loki's following attack.

Yet that attack did not come, and as the seconds ticked by Gray grew concerned. What the hell was Loki thinking?

Lucy's sudden gasp was the first sign that Loki wasn't just being slow, but that things had gone terribly wrong. Gray turned his head around once more to see just what was going on behind him. What he saw made his eyes widen from shock.

Loki entire body had been frozen solid. His hands, raised in the act of casting his magic, had been stilled before it could be unleashed.

The shining glow of his magic, magic which should have been lancing into the forest in a golden stream of destruction, was instead fading fast. Their combination had been countered in a manner Gray had not even thought possible. For a moment he was caught flat footed, staring at his frozen friend's countenance.

Thankfully, Lucy was quicker to respond. The golden haired girl frantically swiped two golden keys in the air as she invoked her celestial magic. "Loki, go home. _Close Gate_ _!_ Next, _Gate of the Goat – Open!_ "

A second flash lit the woods as Lucy's next spirit was summoned. A well-dressed satyr with arms folded across his chest appeared in a burst of golden light. Calm and resolute, the spirit's gaze pierced into the dark night. Unlike when Loki had been summoned, however, there was no time for talk; the enemy's next attack was already on its way. Gray swung his hands up and began channeling his power as fast as possible.

The sound of ice smashing against ice filled the woods.

* * *

Back at the hot springs, Warrod could only grit his teeth as Zeref's magic slowly ate through his wooden barrier. This was a battle he could not win, but the gap between the two of them was heart rending.

He, Warrod, stop the dark mage Zeref? On his own? Even the thought of it was ridiculous to the old mage.

The gap in power between them was too great. Even worse, it was Zeref who had taught Warrod magic in the first place. The dark mage knew every strength and weakness of the power being used against him, putting Warrod at twin disadvantages.

Then the words of a chanted spell came to his ears and suddenly new strength flooded into his body. Power, both magical and physical, raced through his being and into the conjured barrier beyond.

This new power reinforced the elder mage's spell in a way Warrod had never before encountered, almost as if it were both seeping into and surrounding it. The magical energy raced into the barrier, and wherever it went the passage of Zeref's magic was slowed to a crawl. The death wizard's advance was neither halted nor reversed, but the fact that it could be slowed at all was nothing less than a miracle.

How could that be possible? Even Warrod's magic couldn't do that, and he was a Wizard Saint! Warrod had to know which one of the young Fairies was responsible for this feat.

Looking backwards he spotted the young blue-haired girl, Wendy, standing behind him. A look of determined concentration was on her face as she held both of her hands a finger's distance away from his back. It was she who was the source of the mysterious spell, for he could see the magic flowing into his body from her raised hands.

Warrod did not know why her magic was able to resist Zeref's, but to have her present at the old mage's side for this battle... well, maybe fortune had not deserted them after all.

"My thanks little one." Warrod said with a forced chuckle. "Those old buns of mine needed a little warming."

Flushing crimson at his words, little Wendy could only stutter and mumble a response. Seeing her so flustered helped cheer Warrod's spirit further. Even in the midst of a battle to the death, his sense of humor was as sharp as ever.

Sadly, it seemed not everyone agreed. Erza placed a calming hand on Wendy's shoulder and gave the elder mage a glare. The younger girl's stutters stilled under the older girl's hand, and the serious atmosphere Warrod had tried to lighten with his joke descended upon them once again.

"Elder," Erza stated dourly, "do you need my help to defeat Zeref, or may I go join one of the other pairs in battle?"

Warrod turned his head away as he thought of how to reply. The redheaded warrior's courage was admirable, but her appraisal of the situation was completely wrong. The other mages needed to be _retrieved_ , not joined. But how could he convince her of this?

"Elder," she continued fervently, "please answer my question. Time is of the essence and we need to divvy our forces into the most effective units possible."

Luckily for Warrod, another voice answered in his stead. "Quiet Erza, can't you see that the old coot is struggling? Even with Wendy supporting him, the geezer is fighting against Zeref! He doesn't need any distractions."

"Maybe, Carla, but Natsu and the others are also fighting out there in the woods. While I trust that they can handle their opponents, we still know neither the strength nor the total number of our opponents. If our opponents have reinforcements then it is imperative that I go out to reinforce our comrades!"

"If they do have reinforcements and see Wendy, the old geezer and I totally undefended, what would happen then? Wendy can't support Warrod and fight someone else at the same time, and the old mage is probably fighting a losing battle as it is."

The two of them argued back and forth with one another, each refusing to give ground. Warrod, though, was thankful for their disagreement. It prevented Erza from running off as her comrades had done earlier and kept her nearby as Warrod composed his thoughts.

When he finally spoke it was with a heavy voice that cut through their arguing voices. "I understand your feelings, my little fairies. When someone attacks you, and you are strong of both heart and spirit, the urge to strike back immediately is hard to control. But you must trust in my words when I say the following: that fighting this battle will not end in triumph, and that victory over our foes is impossible this night."

Erza's eyes widened. "But, Elder-"

"No, my courageous fairy, victory is impossible. I lack the power to destroy Zeref even with your help." The wood mage's great eyebrows waggled in sorrow. Though the woman was unable to see it, he could only hope that his feelings came through in his voice as well. "I have contained him for the moment but his magic is slowly turning my barrier to dust, as surely as the sand which surrounds my abode would turn this land to desert without my intervention. There is nothing I can do to stop Zeref's magic from ultimately devouring my own."

Warrod's eyes flickered to the sides, where fiery explosions ranged on one and towers of ice rose from the other. "What is worse is that I fear that you are right and that our guild-mates have found terrible opponents of their own. Before I engaged Zeref I could sense further enemies both weak and strong in the distance. Without support, Natsu and the rest may be unable to return... and without their aid, the casting of _Fairy Sphere_ is impossible."

Shifting his stance, Warrod placed both of his hands onto the wooden barrier and let them sink into the wood. By fusing his body with his spell he could greatly increase its potency, but at a high cost. If the spell were to be shattered by Zeref, Warrod would also lose the parts of his body that had fused with the spell.

It was a spell of desperation, but when combined with the reinforcement Wendy had given him then doing it could buy them time they needed to get everyone back together. Because no matter how he reinforced his spell it would not be enough. Warrod needed everyone gathered together to cast _Fairy Sphere_ , and it needed to be soon. Or else he would not have the strength needed.

"Now go," he spoke. "You must summon them back while I still have the strength to cast _Fairy Sphere_. For the sake of our guild and the crest that we all bear, please do as I ask."

Erza stood still for a long moment, locking eyes with the elder mage. The muscles in her face tightened and loosened spasmodically. Warrod watched one of her hands twitch, tightening around the sword it held. Every instinct the red-haired knight possessed seemed to be screaming at her to ignore his words and fight their enemies with her blades.

A desire to fight the enemy, to never give in to them. It was an admirable sentiment and one that every true member of Fairy Tail possessed in abundance.

Still, it was not what was needed in this moment. A short time after their gazes locked she turned her head away and nodded in defeat. "As you say, Elder. I will follow your wishes in this regard."

She walked away from his position and moved out of his sight before speaking. "Wendy, Carla, go get Natsu and Happy. I'll locate Gray and Lucy. Come back here as soon as you find them, and move quickly. Understood?"

"Aye!"

The two young girls quickly gave their assent. It seemed that they had followed his conversation with Erza and had also decided to follow his wishes.

Upon hearing their response, Erza left with the speed of which only top class mages were capable. The black armor that she had shifted into, her _Black Wing Armor_ , gave her the gift of flight would conceal her form in the night. Warrod felt her presence move towards the woods, towards their missing comrades.

As she left, Warrod saw Carla hit her furry face with a single white paw from the corner of his eye.

"We just sounded like Happy, didn't we, Wendy?" The young cat said with a grimace.

Wendy nodded, crestfallen to Warrod's eyes. "Erza... she has that effect on people." The girl gulped as she spoke. "It's really frightening."

"If only it worked on Zeref..."

"Wendy. Carla. I said move it – _now!_ "

"Aye, Erza!" The two girls chorused again. Then the two leaped into the air even faster than Erza, speeding off into the night to find the young girl's fellow dragon slayer.

* * *

Natsu screamed as a blast tore through his body. The guy he was fighting used some sort of weird power that Natsu couldn't figure out. Blast after blast had hit him and he had no idea why! For only the second time since he had mastered Igneel's dragon magic, fire was hurting him. It wasn't right!

Natsu's body slammed into the ground with a heavy thump. As the pain flashed through his mind the dragon slayer tried to push it aside and think. He had punched his opponent too many times to remember each one with any sort of clarity, but it seemed like every time he that he landed a hit on his enemy's body an explosion tore through Natsu own as well. There had to be some kind of trick going on, something the dragon slayer could use to flip the table and pound his enemy into the ground. He just couldn't figure it out. _Yet_.

"Is this all the famous, _mighty_ son of Igneel can offer?" Natsu's opponent called, sauntering into view from behind a burning tree. "And here I thought that a human raised by a dragon might offer a more challenging fight. Damn am I disappointed."

The man was of average height and well built. To an ordinary person he might even appear to be close to human, with only two furry ears and a cat's tail giving his inhuman nature away. But Natsu was no ordinary person either, and to the dragon slayer's nose the man smelled wrong, like no other creature the dragon slayer had ever encountered.

Except for two. Lullaby and Deliora, the demons created by the dark mage Zeref.

As these thoughts ran through Natsu's mind the man continued to close in on Natsu's position. A dark grin lit his eyes in deadly amusement as he kept speaking.

"Well, in the end I guess it doesn't really matter. You could be the son of a space monkey or a nine-tailed fox and it still wouldn't matter. See, all things quake at the feet of demons. And before Jackal, you were doomed the moment you followed me into the woods."

Natsu slowly lifted his head from the dirt. His limbs were heavy and some of his ribs didn't feel quite right, but he wasn't finished yet. This battle had only just gotten started, and sooner or later he would see through his opponent's damn trick. Then the ass-kicking would begin and Natsu would laugh as he tore the demonic bastard a new one.

As for his opponent, so what if the guy claimed to be a demon? To hell with him. If he thought that a few broken bones would keep Natsu from beating him to death, then the man wouldn't see his end coming.

"Now lift up your head and witness your demise, mortal," Jackal purred as he continued to close the distance. "No attack or defense can save you from my blasts, for with every blow we land on each other you come one step close to death."

 _That'_ _s_ _it!_ Natsu thought to himself. As soon as the words came out of the man's mouth, Natsu replayed every moment of their battle in his head and saw that the statement matched up perfectly.

Every blow Natsu had landed on Jackal had also caused an explosion to hit Natsu as well. But the next question was h _ow_ did it occur. Was it transferred by contact from body to body? If so, was it delayed or was it instantaneous? Or was it something else?

 _Bah!_ Screw the thinking – Natsu would find out when he punched the guy in his smug face. That was more his style anyway. Then his partner chimed in, completely ignoring the information Jackal had just given them.

"Natsu, I'm coming!" Happy cried out from above. The blue cat began to dive, aiming for Jackal's head.

Natsu choked on his own breath as he forced himself to stand. "No Happy, stay back!" Pushing himself up on aching and burned muscles, Natsu stood unbowed as he glared down the approaching demon with a cocky grin. "I've got his trick figured out buddy. And you know what? Demon, human, or sack of shit, it doesn't matter." A vein ticked above Natsu's left eye as Happy broke off his dive. "He's mine."

Jackal sneered at Natsu's words. "What's there to figure out, dumb ass? I'll frickin tell you!" Jackal slapped his chest and crowed. "My body curses those who dare touch it. Plain and goddamn simple. It is unavoidable and inevitable. Your own hits doom you to a symphony of explosions as I curse you; again and again and again!"

Stopping short of the bloodied and defiant dragon slayer, the demon let his sneer drop. He stared at Natsu with an impassive gaze. "Know your place, mortal."

Natsu grinned wildly as he cracked the knuckles of his flaming right hand. "Know yours first, asshole. _Fire Dragon's Iron-Fist_ _ _!__ "

With a flash of fire and a burst of magical power, Natsu sent his enemy flying out of sight and deep into the forest.

Then Jackal's cursed explosion tore into Natsu, sending him to the ground and ripping the surrounding area apart. Blood and dirt soon clouded his sight as a ringing noise filled his ears.

A feeling of intense vertigo grabbed him as the demon's explosive attack vented its power upon his body. He tumbled through the dirt until he slammed against something hard and solid enough to halt his moment. Natsu's lay still and gasped for air as he waited for the feeling of vertigo to pass. It only took a few moments before his dragon-slayer constitution asserted itself.

He slowly wiped his left arm across his face to clear his vision and considered Jackal's trick. The curse was time delayed after all. Slow enough for him to catch it, Natsu considered as he blinked blood and dirt from his eyes, but fast enough that he would have to pay close attention or risk getting pounded.

The dragon slayer tried to move forward but stopped, grabbing hold of his knees as his body told him to be still. Damn, but Jackal's last attack had done a number on him. With his body in such a terrible condition, Natsu would have to give it everything he had in order to win.

A rustle in the air caught his attention, and a second later Happy's worried faced filled his vision. "Natsu, you don't look too good." The cat murmured mournfully. "Will you be alright? That guy is really tough after all."

The flying cat studied his friend closely as Natsu continued to take his time recovering. "Maybe we should find Wendy and have her take a look at you while that other guy picks himself up and tries to find us again. I think he flew pretty far away."

Natsu forced himself to let go of his knees and straighten up. "My body's good enough, Happy. Besides, they've got own fights and we've got to end things here."

He took a deep breath as wind blew through the smoke-filled air. A perplexed look rose on his face as he picked up a powerful and familiar scent.

"Or maybe they'll come to us?" Natsu growled in confusion. "What the hell?"

* * *

Wendy bit her thumb as she and Carla flew through the air. The battle hadn't been going for very long, but already there was a swath of devastation carved into the landscape. Trees lay broken in long columns with huge pieces of ground churned and ripped apart. Everything was on fire and smoke filled the air.

Whomever Natsu was fighting must have been very powerful to withstand the blasts he had unleashed. It made the damage she had seen on Tenrou Island pale in comparison.

"Wendy, I can't see them at all," Carla said. "Can you smell them?

Wendy took a quick sniff and let out a worried sigh. "I can, but with all the smoke in the air I can't pin it down. I'm sorry for failing, Carla."

Wendy wanted to cry at her failure. She could usually pick out Natsu's distinctive smell of burnt sulfur and fiery brimstone from miles away, but there was just too much smoke and fire for the young dragon slayer to pick it out. On a battlefield like this the pink-haired man might as well have been invisible to her, and Wendy felt useless as a result.

Carla must have sensed these thoughts, for the white-furred cat hugged the small dragon slayer tighter in her arms. "It's okay, Wendy. We'll find them soon, safe and sound as well. I can feel it. Maybe the noise will start up again, or maybe your dragon hearing will pick up their voices."

Wendy smiled in relief. Trust her friend to know how to calm her down. "Thank you Carla," she whispered gratefully.

"Carla! Wendy! Down here!"

"Ah! See Wendy? There's that yowling tomcat already. Too stubborn and too dumb to die, just like his master."

"Carla! I have a booboo. Can you kiss it to make it feel better?"

"Whatever you do Wendy, please don't treat it. If that fool is still acting like such an idiot then it isn't worth your time to even look at it. I swear, why does he have to be such a giant idiot? Why?"

Wendy giggled a little at Carla's soft tone and scowling face. The white-furred cat was too harsh on her fellow Exceed, and it was only in times like this that her true concern for his well-being surfaced so openly. On a night when everything seemed to be going wrong, seeing this remain true was comforting.

Happy kept yelling as the two girls descended on his position, but his partner was utterly silent. Wendy could tell that Natsu saw her, but her fellow dragon slayer seemed to be brooding over something.

"Natsu! Happy!" Wendy called out as she and Carla landed next to the boy and his cat. "You've got to come back quickly! I just came from the springs, and Warrod says that he can't hold Zeref for long, and that more demons are approaching, and that –" Wendy stopped talking as she let out a gasp.

She had just gotten a good look at Natsu's wounds through the black ash that covered his body. He did not look good. In fact, he looked horrible!

" _Natsu!_ _W_ _hat happened to your body_ _?_ " Wendy screamed at him as she rushed over in a blue blur. "Let me heal you."

"Eh, it's not anything to worry over. I'm just a little singed is all." Natsu yelled out as she looked him over. He tried to back away, dodging her smaller body with all the ease of a punch drunk prize fighter. "The guy I'm fighting has some sort of weird little trick that took me a while to figure out is all. But I just got the hang of it, so the next time I see him his ass is mine!"

"Quiet, Natsu!" the young girl growled out. "I am a healer, and I will worry about it! Can't you see that you're not okay? Please, just stay still and let me heal you."

"But the guy might come back and try to attack." Natsu said as he tried to beat her back with his one good arm. It was not enough, and soon enough she had him in her grasp.

Just like Natsu, Wendy was also a dragon slayer. Increased strength, speed, and senses were the norm. They had basic physical abilities that far exceeded the human norm and training only enhanced them. Furthermore Wendy was still uninjured, and she was filled with determination to conquer her unruly patient.

She was able to bypass his flailing arm and grab his wounded one with ease, snapping at him as she did it. "I don't care, Natsu! You don't have a choice in this. Staying still will just make it go faster."

As the elder dragon slayer growled at her in annoyance, Wendy was surprised to find herself growling right back at him. Natsu was durable and tough – all dragon slayers were – but no one in his condition should try to pass themselves off as being completely okay. Especially not when the healer expressed worry over him. The quick diagnosis she had gotten from her magic had confirmed her initial worries.

The young man had three broken ribs, half the fingers on his right hand looked to have contusions, and if the splotchy marks on his bare chest was any indication then Natsu was both burned and suffering from massive internal bleeding. Whoever or whatever Natsu had been fighting hadn't used anything even close to resembling 'little tricks.'

 _Argh! Not only_ _is_ _Natsu being stubborn, but h_ _e's_ _trying to pass it off as nothing,_ _just like he always does,_ Wendy thought to herself. It was maddening! The young dragon-slayer could feel herself growing angrier by the second as she placed both of her hands on his chest.

" _Little_ tricks do not cause this sort of damage Natsu." Wendy bit out as she tried to quickly heal the worst of the damage. She was mad and not in a mood to let him off the hook with her usual sweetness. "And big boys don't try to lie to their healer about the state of their injuries!" She glared at his chest as she spoke, but as usual any word which differed from his own in regards to his medical condition were completely ignored.

"Bah! It was just a little trick with a big punch is all, but now I've got it all figured out, so no worries, Wendy. If that bastard thought I hit him hard with that last punch, then he won't know what to do with himself when my next one lands. A few more hits on him and the guy's finished! Ain't that right, Happy?"

Happy landed on Natsu's left shoulder and poked the dragon slayer in the cheek. "Ne, Natsu, I don't think he knew what hit him the _last_ time you punched him. It's been over a minute and he still hasn't come back." Happy clapped his paws together and visibly beamed his enthusiasm. "I know – maybe you killed him!"

"Ha! That guy is a pansy, so I probably did end him with that last punch."

"Aye! It's our victory!"

"Just like usual Happy. We're the best tag team duo out there."

"Aye sir!"

Over to the side, Wendy saw Carla cover her face with one small paw. "You guys are seriously idiots." the small cat muttered. "Tomcat, even if that was actually true – and I seriously doubt that it is – then things still look bad for us."

Jumping on Wendy's right shoulder, Carla shook her left paw at them sternly. "Natsu looks half-dead even with Wendy healing him. Warrod is losing his battle with Zeref, and according to that old coot even more enemies are approaching us right now. Oh, and who knows what is happening with Gray and the others. For all we know, they could be dead!"

Carla punctuated her words with a sharp rap of her paw against both of their heads. The two males winced while Wendy merely nodded and poked a finger into Natsu's chest for emphasis. The man grunted at her poke and shot her a pout that she swiftly ignored. Carla was saying exactly what Wendy wanted to say, and Wendy would give her partner her full support.

"The most important thing we can do – way more important than waiting to see what happened to Natsu's opponent – is to get back to the spring a.s.a.p."

Natsu's face turned rebellious at those words and he opened his mouth to reply. Thankfully, Carla and Wendy had an ace in the hole to finish this brief argument. "Those are Erza's orders, Natsu, so no arguing either," the white-furred cat stated. "Got it?"

Wendy saw Natsu's open jaw shut fast enough that she heard them click. The stubborn man nodded his head in sullen acceptance. Happy soon followed it with a soft 'aye' and nod of his own.

The young girl felt a flash of jealousy and wonder as it happened. Two separate scoldings from her and Carla only made the man dig in, _wh_ _ereas_ _the mere hint of an angry Erza was enough to get him in line. Erza was amazing!_ _One day maybe she too could have that effect on people._

With a sigh, though, she tried to suppress the feeling. Erza was scary in a way that Wendy would never be, and that was something that would never change. She would just have to find another way to be strong, and until that happened she would have to be happy with what she did possess.

Wendy finished her emergency healing as she thought. She then stepped back to examine Natsu's body one final time. Her eyes traveled across his naked body and, unfortunately, caused her to once again remember her own nakedness. A blush crept into her cheeks as she tried to cover herself up, and the blush only grew worse as she discovered a tattoo on his body she had never before seen.

To cover her sudden embarrassment, Wendy tried to focus on the results of her healing. She had healed the internal bleeding and fixed the broken bones in his hand and ribs. If Natsu tried fighting again anytime soon, though, the healed areas would not hold up with their customary durability. It was a patch job at best, but it would have to do for now.

"How does it feel, Natsu?" Wendy asked as she looked around for something to hide behind. With her work done, her ability to ignore her embarrassment was plummeting rapidly. She jumped behind a nearby tree trunk and poked her head over the top. "Do you feel like you can move around again? I tried to do my best, but it's important that you feel like you can move without hurting yourself."

Natsu rotated his shoulder and flexed his hand several times. He then proceeded to run through a quick series of jabs and punches at an imaginary opponent. Unlike her, the pink-haired man seemed to be totally unconcerned with his own nakedness. At that moment, Wendy wished that she was as strong as Erza so that she could punch Natsu in the chest and make him yelp in pain. Damn him! Damn him for making her the only one embarrassed in this situation.

Whatever Natsu felt as he gave a few more practice punches in the air pleased him, though, because he soon gave a satisfied grunt.

"My hand feels like I tried to punch Gray's thick skull one too many times, and my chest doesn't feel quite right, but I've fought with worse." Looking down at Wendy, the grim look in his eyes faded somewhat as he smiled slightly. "Thanks a ton, Wendy. Let's get back to the others before Erza gets mad at us."

Wendy looked at his smiling face and couldn't help but smile in return. Whatever anger she felt at him faded at his words. The man was a stubborn idiot, but he always knew how to make her feel better about whatever deadly situation came their way.

"That sounds good to me, Natsu," Wendy mumbled out in reply. "Happy, could you pick Natsu up first? Carla and I will follow right behind you."

"Sure! But only if Carla kisses my booboo first."

"That won't be happening you stupid tomcat. Ever. So listen to Wendy and pick up your fellow idiot."

"Waaah! You're so mean to me, Carla!

"Whatever."

As the Exceed continued to argue with one another, Natsu gave her head a soft nudge. Wendy jumped in surprise. She had totally forgotten his presence for a moment as she watched the Exceed argue with one another. Something she should not have done, because the man's goofy grin was giving her goosebumps.

"By the way, Wendy," Natsu said. "I never knew that you had a tattoo down there too. Sweet look!"

The blush which lit up her face at Natsu's words could have outshone the moon and she nearly swallowed her tongue in horror. Wendy had just managed to put her previous embarrassment out of her mind! Why had their enemies attacked while the Fairy Tail mages were in, of all places, an outdoors hot-spring? She wanted to defeat them all the more for causing her to feel this this much embarrassment.

Eventually, once her tongue climbed back out of her throat, Wendy managed to stutter out the only reply which came to mind. "I didn't know you had one either, Natsu."

"I don't have just one," Natsu beamed. "I've got two!"

Wendy wondered if she would ever stop blushing again.

* * *

Erza was thankful that she had chosen her _Black Wing Armor_. It had allowed her to locate Gray and Lucy without running into trouble, and its speed turned out to be a lifesaver. The moment she arrived, Erza had spotted an icy lance shooting at the back of Lucy's head. A quick flash of her sword had ended the threat and saved her blonde teammate.

Unfortunately, by giving up the element of surprise, Erza was now stuck in the same mess as the others. The three guild mates were currently stuck in a narrow hollow between two small hills. Trees surrounded them on all sides while frozen plants, mounds of ice and gaping holes dotted the forest.

Looking at the other two members of Fairy Tail caused Erza to frown in concern. There was no point in sugarcoating things so she spoke what was on her mind. "Gray, Lucy, how are the two of you holding up? The two of you look like you're in rough shape."

Lucy was gasping and visibly shaking. The celestial mage fumbled another key out of her key box with trembling hands. In spite of it being such a short battle, the young woman had already been forced to use six of her ten Zodiac spirits in order to stay alive.

Gray didn't look much better. The young man's body was battered and bruised all over, and one of his eyes looked like it had been hit with a hammer. It was dark and swollen from some attack that had gotten through his defenses. Chances were that he wouldn't be able to see very well with it.

The two mages shared a look before responding to Erza's question.

"I'm alright for more, Erza. I've still got some gates left," Lucy said as she tried to catch her breath. "But I can't do a close up fight."

Gray chimed in afterward with barely a hitch in his voice. "I could go all night, Erza. This bastard won't get the best of me."

A sudden rumbling came, and spikes of ice jutted into the air around their position. Gray slammed his hands together and pressed them against the ground, instantly halting the enemy's attack. The black-haired mage then sent a return blast along the other mage's channel, only to shake his head in disappointment.

"Tch," he muttered. "Missed the bastard again."

Gray then threw her a sharp look. "Any help you could provide would be appreciated, Erza. Or you could just sit back and watch me handle this, your call."

Erza nodded and Re-quipped her armor, swapping out her _Black Wing Armor_ in exchange for her _Ice-Empress_ _Armor_. The light which shone from the use of her magic couldn't give away their position; the enemy's attack had shown that they already knew the exact position of the Fairy Tail mages.

The moon's light glittered on the blue-white metal, and Erza unsheathed the armor's gleaming scimitar the instant it appeared. As she did, Erza also looked around herself with pursed lips.

 _This armor wouldn't allow her to fight the man as well as Gray, but at least it was a start. At worst it might make their opponent a little more wary, since any_ _Ice_ _mage worth his weight in water should know the armor's many abilities._

Actually, with the armor now equipped, a new idea had popped into Erza's head.

"Gray, put up another ice dome, quickly," she commanded. "We cannot win like this – but I know a way to do so – crap! Lucy, get out of the way!"

Lucy let out a shriek as the blades of ice Erza had just seen in the distance flew towards the blond girl's head. With blinding speed, Erza knocked the other woman down and blocked the shards of ice with her blade, the sword flashing in the moonlight as it reduced the shards to nothingness. Meanwhile, Gray sent a return blast of icy spears screaming in the direction the attack had originated. With any luck it would buy them a few moments of peace.

"Erza, it's not the best time for a blind defense," Gray noted, eyes calmly scanning the forest. "We're already in a bit of a bind. Going turtle isn't going to help."

With no time to explain her plan in detail Erza injected some steel into voice as she gave her comrade a pointed stare. "It will. So do it."

While visibly uncomfortable with the suggestion, and after shooting her a questioning look, Gray followed her command. " _Ice-Make:_ _Dome_ _!_ "

Erza wasted little time as the man's sphere of ice came up and surrounded them.

"Gray, the moment he hits your ice barrier, let me know and I'll reinforce it. From what I can tell he likes hitting in waves of two to three attacks, but he needs to pause after every attack in order to shift position. That's why your attacks haven't been hitting him. Now, after the enemy's first one ends you'll need to shatter the sphere outwards and send as many sharpened pieces in as many directions as possible."

"You do realize that I already tried that attack before, right?" Gray said while frowning. "There's no way he'll get caught off guard from it."

"I didn't, but that actually makes this plan more likely to succeed. Because this time is going to be very different."

Erza turned to face Lucy. "After Gray's attack, Lucy, I'll switch to my _Flame Empress Armor_ and melt the remaining ice, all while sending a second multi-directional attack into the woods. At this point, you will then use the resulting water to summon Aquarius and have her unleash her strongest attack."

Quieting for a moment, Erza looked at both of her fellow mages with a steely eye stare. Lucy shivered while Gray stared unblinking, but Erza could see the fire to carry out the plan burning within both their eyes.

Good. They were going to need that willpower soon enough.

"Then we keep moving until we reach Elder Warrod." Erza continued. "There is no time for second guessing. So move quickly and efficiently everyone. Our lives may count on it."

The ground rumbled beneath their feet and the sound of snapping trees reached them through the _Ice-Sphere's_ thick walls. A horrifyingly powerful triple-layered blast of ice came screaming in from all sides of the ice sphere, bringing an end to the planning session.

Erza grit her teeth and shouted a single word. "Go!"

The three mages moved in a synchronized blur. Erza used every ounce of power in her armor to reinforce Gray's sphere and stopped the enemy's attack in its tracks. Cracks wove their way through the barrier, but it held strong.

Then, as she Re-quipped into the orange and red _Flame-Empress_ regalia, Gray shifted his stance and cried out, " _Ice-Make: Hail of Daggers!_ "

The sphere and surrounding ice shattered and became a deadly hail that blasted through the enemy's next wave. Stages one and two of her plan had gone off without a hitch. It was time for stage three.

Erza gripped her sword with one hand above her head and swung it in a complete circle as she yelled out. " _Flame-Slash!_ "

Fire leaped from her sword, flash melting the remaining ice into water. Undeterred by the ice, the flames spewing from her sword continued into the forest unabated, setting toppled trees on fire and further distracting the enemy mage. Stage three was done, and now everything rested in Lucy's hands.

Lucy scrambled from where she had thrown her body to the ground. As the water fell from the melted ice and hit the ground, the young woman swiped her key in it and gave out a shout. " _Gate of the Water Bearer: Open_ _!_ "

But nothing happened. The key had missed the streams of water, and without the water Aquarius could not be summoned.

Erza felt a cold chill run down her back as she saw Lucy's eyes widened in horror. The celestial mage had to summon that spirit! If not, the enemy was going to hit them with an attack they were not prepared to take.

Her head swiveling desperately, Lucy let out a strangled cry and dove at a nearby puddle of muddy water. Shoving the key deep into it with a wet squelch, the blond yelled the words of summoning once again. " _Gate of the Water Bearer: Open_ _ _!__ "

The resulting flash of light was the most beautiful thing Erza had ever seen. From the radiant beam emerged a beautiful, blue-tailed mermaid being wearing a white and blue bikini top. A cruel smile framed the woman's face as she slowly wiped a splatter of mud away from one eye. Mud which covered her entire body.

A slow and terrifying laugh echoed in the night air as Aquarius began to summon her magic. "Ho-ho-ho."

Lucy could only gulp in fear as she stared into the spirit's face. Although this had been Erza's plan and Gray's water, it appeared that the spirit's wrath was focused solely upon its summoner.

"Lady Aquarias," Lucy whimpered softly, "Please punish me with your strongest attack."

Aquarius' smile grew wider. "Luuu-cyyy," the spirit cooed in response. "For summoning me in a puddle of mud I won't just punish you. I'll _kill_ you. I'll kill __all__ _o_ f you!"

Erza sighed and closed her eyes. She would have preferred a more controlled blast but this would have to suffice.

The torrent of water Aquarius soon blasted them with sent the three mages streaming through the woods, carried away by the spirit of water's summoned tsunami. Away from the enemy and towards their allies. Just as Erza had planned.

* * *

Warrod's breathing had begun to slow. With Wendy's absence, Zeref's magic had quickly returned to its former rate of erosion. The old mage had tapped into his life's essence in order to reinforce his spell and it was beginning to take a toll. He was not as young as he once was and only had so much left to give before he ran out and died.

How Mavis had ever contended with the powerful dark mage Warrod would never know. It was taking his own life just to keep him in check, and Zeref had yet to unleash his full power.

A scent of smoke and blood filled his nostrils as the sound of flapping wings descended upon the spring. Warrod sensed with no small amount of relief that the two dragon slayers had been the first to arrive.

Wendy ran up to him the moment her feet touched the ground, summoning her magic as she moved.

"Elder Warrod, please hold still as I reinforce you," the young girl said as she placed her glowing hands a short distance from his back. Strength flowed into Warrod's limbs as her magic flowed into him, slowing Zeref's advance once again while simultaneously rejuvenating Warrod's tired mind.

"Natsu, please keep a watch for the others. It is going to take everything I have just to help Elder Warrod keep Zeref sealed."

Natsu punched his right fist into his palm, wincing for a brief moment as he did. Wendy must not have been able to fully heal the man's wounds in the time she had been gone.

"You've got it, Wendy!" Natsu replied. "Happy, Carla, I'll cover the ground. Get into the air and warn me if anything starts to get close."

The two cats acknowledged their roles and took to the night sky. Warrod lost sight of their small bodies immediately but knew that they would be nearby. The elder mage considered his next move as the three members of Fairy Tail moved.

After seeing Natsu's torn and tattered state Warrod knew that his decision to call the youngsters back was the correct one. Warrod could feel through the plants that the dragon slayer's enemy was closing in on their position – and fast. As were the enemy's distant companions. If the one enemy had hurt the young fairy so heavily then it could only get worse with additional foes. The fairies were outmatched and outgunned as it was, and it would only get worse with time.

A sudden rumble coming from the tree's on his left cut off his thoughts. Warrod's eyes widened as the cause soon came into view, forcing the elder mage to quickly rooted his feet to the ground. He didn't know if it was an attack from their enemies or just a spell gone wrong, but whoever had cast the spell had clearly lost control of it.

A gigantic tidal wave of water was spilling from the forest, crashing into the hot-spring and flooding the surrounding area. As it hit, Warrod heard Natsu give a strange cry of joy that was soon cut off by the water's torrential downpour.

The wave crashed over and through the area. Trunks of destroyed trees swept through, and Warrod's body was battered by rocks. The roar of the water filled his ears as his body was surrounded by the wave. His rooted feet tethered Warrod's body against the storm of water until it passed.

Once it did, the sound of several muttered coughs came from behind Warrod's back. More coughing than Natsu and Wendy could have made on their own.

"Wendy," the wood mage rasped, feeling this throat start to rip under the strain of his own voice as he uprooted his feet, "is everyone present?"

One of the voices stopped coughing for a moment as its owner took a deep breath in order to reply. "Yes, Master Warrod." A slight pause and another cough. "They're wet, but seem to be okay. Natsu, please check them to make sure."

As she finished speaking, one of the coughing voices suddenly rose in pitch.

"Natsu! Please stop pushing Gray's head deeper into that puddle of water!"

"The bastard deserved it, Wendy. His goddamn naked body slammed into my face! I'm scarred for life!"

" _No!_ Bad Natsu! Killing him is still a bad thing to do."

A shudder ran through Warrod's body as the exchange continued. There wasn't much strength left in him. Zeref's magic was close to breaking through and there would be nothing he could do to stop the dark mage from killing them all.

It was time to begin casting _Fairy Sphere_.

Warrod took a deep breath and began to speak. He needed to gain their attention quickly. "Mages of Fairy Tail, gather around me and hold hands. But close the circle only when I remove my hands from the barrier."

The mages moved slowly as they tried to rid themselves from the effects of the giant wave.

As they moved around him, jostling for position, Warrod could hear crashing noises coming from all sides. The ones the mages had been fighting were making their move, and their other comrades were moments away at best.

Warrod wished that Mavis had been present for this battle, even if it had only been in spirit. Maybe she could have found a way out of this battle that he had not. Alas, it was only him, and he only knew this one way.

Warrod ripped his arms from the barrier with a savage cry and stepped backwards. The severed stumps of his hands stayed behind as he did.

Natsu closed the gap and came to stand across from Warrod's shuddering body, holding tightly to Erza and Gray. Gray held one of Happy's paws while Erza gripped Carla's paw tightly, and they in turn joined hands with Wendy and Lucy. Lucy and Wendy then placed their hands on top of Warrod's forearms. With that the circle was complete.

Warrod felt their energy flow into him, providing the power to unleash one of Fairy Tail's three great magics. Gathered like this, with their power combined, it took only a moment to cast.

" _Fairy Sphere!_ "

The spell flashed into existence just as the wooden barrier broke under Zeref's power. Its holy glow suffused the area, bathing the land in a white light that clashed with Zeref's dark might. The two strove against one another, with Zeref seeking to destroy and Warrod seeking to protect. On top of this came spells cast from the dark wizard's minions, turning the hot springs behind Warrod's house into a vortex of destruction.

Yet from the moment the clash began Warrod sensed that something was wrong. There was a mesh of energies which threatened to undo _Fairy Sphere_ before it could be completed, something that Warrod had never encountered before.

Zeref's dark magic and the power of his cursed minions churned against _Fairy Sphere's_ holy power. They attacked the spell's very essence, seeking to undo its most basic components. Warrod focused his mind, willing the energies to hold and forcing them along their proper paths. The forces went back and forth as each struggled for dominance.

Then a third force interfered.

Somehow Celestial magic began to leak into _Fairy Sphere_ from Lucy's body. It's powerful nature began, which defied mortal knowledge to this day, began to override Warrod's will. It came from the young girl, Lucy. The blonde's head was thrown back in a silent scream, her body tense and rigid as the power of the celestial realm burned through her system.

As Fairy Tail's magic of light and Zeref's magic of darkness struggled for dominance, the Celestial magic transformed the spell and its intended function. Multidimensional energies joined with the spell's space-time matrix, creating something new and unknown.

As the spell activated and darkness took his eyes, Warrod knew that something had gone wrong beyond his power to fix. The spell which had finally activated was not the _Fairy Sphere_ spell created by Mavis, but something new and completely different.

Warrod had failed the world. He had failed Mavis. But worst of all, as darkness took him, he knew that he had failed the young fairies who had depended on him for survival.

Then he knew no more, and with a flash of silver light, the area around Warrod's home was emptied. None escaped the spell's power, and the battle that had been raging came to an end.

All that remained were stones and trees as the moon shone on a broken home.

* * *

Natsu awoke to a black, starry sky. The stars which shone above were strange and different; he did not know them.

A shudder of pain tore through his body as his eyes widened in confusion. It was so intense that it threatening to send him back to oblivion, but Natsu refused to give in to it. His friends had to be somewhere nearby, and if Natsu was hurting this badly, then they might have been hurt even worse.

As he lay and fought against the pain, Natsu heard the voices of two young girls and a young boy, none of which he recognized. They were agitated, their pitch sounding high and fearful.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong, and if he stayed down then he would be unable to find his friends or fix whatever was going on nearby.

Natsu stood, wincing as he rose to his feet. The pain from his wounds was still there, as was a whirling sense of vertigo, but the dragon slayer pushed it aside. He had felt worse and would be damned if he let a few aches and pains stopped him. Gray and Gajeel wouldn't have let it stop them, and there was no way that Natsu would let those two beat him in toughness. It took nearly a full minute but eventually Natsu felt his senses return to normal.

He could still hear the voices of the two girls and some others in the distance. As he gazed around his current location, he could tell that he was in a forest, one where the foliage was less dense than the one by Warrod's house.

Natsu sniffed the air. It smelled different too, with the odors of different plants and animals mixed in with other, more metallic smells that Natsu had never encountered in his life.

It only added to his confusion. _Fairy Sphere_ had transported him into the future and buried him under a pile of dirt and rocks the last time it was activated, but it had also kept him in the same general area where it had been activated. Instead, this time it seemed to have transported him to somewhere he had never been, and Natsu had no idea if any of his friends had been transported with him.

He couldn't see them and he couldn't pick up their scents. The thought of being separated caused a dagger of fear to drive into Natsu's heart. For while he could handle himself in a pinch the same was not true of all his guild-mates.

Then a burst of dark magic washed over him from the direction of the voices. It felt like that of Zeref. A shot of adrenaline hit his body, instantly banishing the pain.

Natsu then set off on a quick pace to join the distant fight. There was no way he would miss out on a chance to sock the smug smile right of that bastard's evil looking face.

 **END**

 **A/N:** As my story progresses within the Negima universe, I'll try to incorporate any powers/developments from Fairy Tail's manga (the ending was utterly terrible, but I'm hopeful about the 100 year quest sequel) that seem to make sense for the characters I have taken. I've got most of the story plotted out and I've built in some plausible safety valves just in case. Additionally, UQ Holder and anything attached to it will not exist for the purposes of this story unless explicitly stated – period.

In separate news, I'm back! Here is the (hopefully) long awaited rewrite of my longest fic. I've got more chapters held in the bag, and aim to get through the Mahora Magic Festival at the very least. The next chapter will be up by tomorrow and a third will go up on Friday. I have too many fun ideas for bouncing around in my head for me to just abandon them unwritten. Expect most chapters to be shorter in length than this one, and for the releases to slow down to once a month or once every two months when we get two chapters beyond the old ending point. These days I'm writing slower and putting chapters through more edits, so you will usually be 2 or 3 chapters behind where I am currently writing.

For those of you who are new to this fic, thank you for checking it out. This story starts in chapters 46-48 of Negima and in chapter 355 of Fairy Tail. It accepts everything prior to that – unless I explicitly state otherwise – as canon. You may also see that some things are already AU for both Fairy Tail and Negima.

As for those of you who are returning readers, I appreciate you and all that you do. There have been a few minor changes in this chapter from what was previously posted, but nothing of great significance.

To the comments section:

 _Tartaros_ : The canon ending for Tartaros always bothered me. In this fic, expect for them to be semi-important recurring villains. They'll receive some power upgrades and boosts along the way, and taking them out will be a major event. They will also have a far more intimate relationship with Zeref than they did in canon… and a few of Negima's characters may even be joining their ranks.

 _Zeref:_ The dark wizard himself was another complete and utter letdown. His fight scenes with Natsu and Mavis were trash, his motivation (fear of Acnologia) made no sense – especially when he had ridden on Acnologia's back on Tenrou – and the fact that his relationship with Natsu was resolved so quickly (Lucy literally rewriting the story of Natsu to save him) was utter bull. That won't happen in this story. He will be back. He will be evil. And there _will_ be deaths when he returns.

 _On Warrod and the Fairy Tail Crew:_ Consider all of them, except for Warrod, to be at their canon power level at this point in the manga's timeline. Just like with Tartaros, Warrod and the other Wizard saints were a complete letdown to me in FT canon. For the purposes of this fic, Warrod (and by extension, the other two top Wizard Saints) have received a significant boost in power. Not enough to go pound for pound with Zeref, but enough to last for a couple of exchanges – _especially_ when on their home turf, like Warrod was at his home. Natsu and some of the others will eventually reach this level, and in time exceed it.

I think that I'll keep this comment section in my author notes going for awhile, but I'll only put major points here. Leave a comment or send a PM if you have any further questions and I will try to respond to them. I won't answer any major plot points, but I am happy to provide clarification on or take constructive criticism.

 ** _The Pairing List as of 2/15/2019:_**

Negi: Chisame, Kazumi, ?, ?, and possibly ?. I could honestly throw in half of his class – as well as a few others like Takane D. Goodman – but nope. I had to draw the line somewhere or else it would just explode and take over the story. I still honestly find myself waffling over 2 of my hidden choices every time I look at my story. I quite honestly might end up changing at least one of them if I feel like it would be in the best interests of the plot, but ugh! It's stressful to even consider.

Thankfully, for it to be a Negima fanfic the girls will be throwing themselves at Negi, so I will have plenty of room to construct a romance between Negi and virtually any other girl not already paired off. And… expect to see a death or two among this large selection of girls and women as I try to keep all of you in suspense.

Natsu: Erza, Chao, Wendy, and ?. Because I couldn't see anymore than 4 being with the guy with the way I am shaping everyone's respective characterizations. Nor could I see any of the other girls surviving the chosen 4. And unlike with Negi, Natsu's girls are set in stone. There will be no changes or additions.

Konoka and Setsuna. Because it just works so gosh darn well.

Happy and Carla. Because I want the two morons to finally embrace their feelings for one another.

Lucy and ?

Eva and ?

Gray and (eventually) ?

Takamichi and ?

Chamo and a lonely Iron Maiden. Because Karma can really be a bitch.

And many more which will remain a secret. Additionally, expect the two groups of multi-pairings to be very different in terms of social dynamics. Natsu and Negi are very different characters with very different viewpoints. I want to explore two different types of multi-pairing instead of just going with the cookie cutter approach and doing the same thing.

Unlike in most harem/polyamory/multi-pairing fics the women involved will still keep their brains. There _will_ be some drama between the girls and the guy in both groupings, and Natsu's group will feature at least one explosive fight.

Until next time,

~Elsil


	2. Trouble in the Woods

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 2**

 **Trouble** **in the Woods**

Asuna cried out in pain as a demon's bladed weapon drew a thin line of blood across her left shoulder. The horrid being's pig-like snout curved in ecstasy, snarling in joy as it licked the freshly blooded weapon.

There was only one way Asuna could respond.

"Get off of me, you sick monster!" Asuna screamed with all of her might. The orange-haired girl swung her magic canceling fan as the scream tore through her throat, putting the full force of her anger and pain behind the strike. The blow caught the demon across its toothy mouth and dispelled its summoning magic, sending it back to whatever demonic plane it called home.

The young teen gave a snort of satisfaction. She might not possess Setsuna's wondrous grace or Negi's overpowered magic, but what Asuna lacked in skill she made up for with sheer determination.

Still, Asuna could not help but feel worn out. She and Setsuna had been battling the demons for almost fifteen minutes straight and the non-stop movement was starting to take its toll. No amount of physical education training or after school sports could have prepared her for this marathon of a fight. Her breaths came hard, and she had to clutch a hand to her shoulder as the wound flared with pain.

Asuna stumbled backwards in the pool of shallow water that covered the ground. A blistering curse left her lips as she felt the cool water begin to soak her clothes. The shallow water covering this area was making it difficult to fight. What had initially been an annoyance was quickly turning into a mud-filled nightmare.

Steadying herself by thrusting her fan into the ground, Asuna caught a glimpse of Setsuna to her side. The black-haired teen's sword was a blur as it slashed out to her left and decapitated a nearby demon. The creature's body disappeared as its summoning spell was broken by the swordswoman's magic.

Breathing heavily, Setsuna had a wide-eyed look of confusion on her face. Seeing it did not make Asuna feel any better. Asuna was the novice in all of this magic stuff and being confused by it was her new normal. But Setsuna was an expert in this sort of thing. If even she did not know what was going on then they were probably in serious trouble.

"Hey, Setsuna-san, what gives?" Asuna called out to the other girl. "A minute ago these guys were weirdo perverts, chasing me around, trying to rip my skirt off. Then something changed and now they're trying to rip my head off!"

"I do not know, Asuna-san. I have never encountered something like this in all my time as a Shinmei-Ryu swordsman," Setsuna replied. "I have encountered both perverted demons, and demons with an insatiable lust for blood, but never have I seen one turn into the other with such unnatural suddenness."

The black-haired teen's confused gaze narrowed as she spoke. It soon settled into an icy calm that Asuna had never before seen on the other girl's face. Setsuna's breathing slowed as her gaze sharpened, and in moments it was like the girl had never even been fighting in the first place. Were it not for the fact that they were still surrounded, and that Setsuna's once pristine uniform was ripped and torn in places, Asuna might have sworn that to be the case the case.

Maybe it was because the other girl was used to this sort of thing but Asuna was still unable to catch her breath at all. Even with the pause they had just bought for themselves by killing those last two demons could not calm her racing heart. Her hands shook with energy and Asuna could feel her heart pounding inside her chest.

To make matters worse she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Konoka and Negi. Asuna and Setsuna were just buying time for their young teacher to reach Konoka. The two of them had chosen to fight these demons so that the brat could race ahead and get to Konoka faster.

Meanwhile Asuna and Setsuna had no way of knowing if that had been the right idea. For all they knew Negi could be close to reaching Konoka that very moment and this fight would be over in seconds. Or, knowing their terrible run of bad luck, Negi had run into that weird white-haired boy again. In which case the kid was probably fighting for his tiny little life while she and Setsuna were stuck and unable to reach him.

"Dammit!" Asuna cursed to herself. If that was actually happening then the boy had better be victorious. Because if Negi screwed up and got them all killed, then as sure as hell had fire Asuna would haunt his for eternity. She had allowed the kid to bring them all out here. She had put her trust in him to save their friend. If the worst did happen, and that damn brat did get them all killed, then haunting his minuscule ass for eternity would be only the beginning of her revenge.

"Ah. I think that I understand what happened."

The sound of Setsuna's voice brought Asuna's increasingly angry line of thought to a screeching halt. The other girl understood something? Huh? Had Setsuna been talking this entire time? Dammit. Asuna really did need to pay better attention when the smart people were speaking.

Blushing furiously to herself, Asuna started listening what the other girl was saying.

"Thinking back, Asuna-san, I did feel something happen a short time ago. Some sort of magical resonance shortly before the change occurred. Its appearance coincided with the enemy's change in demeanor. Although it is just conjecture at this point, it is my guess that the resonance I felt has caused this change within our opponents. Although I myself feel unchanged. It is most curious, especially considering my own... situation."

Asuna blinked in confusion. Most of what the other girl said had gone over her head. Setsuna's speech had sounded smart and probably would have meant something to Negi, but Asuna was not him. She was still just a newbie when it came to magic. One who was constantly in over her head as well. The one certain thing she had picked up was that it was best to just go with the flow and hit things until it all worked out

"I don't get it," Asuna said, and she meant every word. "But basically, uh, something happened and now they're different, right?"

Setsuna nodded. "Correct, Asuna-san. Furthermore, unless I am completely off and there are other factors involved as well, the resonance has also made these demons more powerful."

"Great! That's just what we need right now. On top of some crazy sorceress kidnapping Konoka, a super powerful little emo boy who can turn people to stone, _and_ Negi leaving us to go fight the emo boy, we now have a bunch of powered-up demons that want to kill us!" Asuna threw her hands into the air, almost losing her grip on her fan as she gestured emphatically. "Fantastic!"

"Indeed. I hope that sensei is not running into similar entanglements on his end. Otherwise, things might prove to be too much even for him."

Setsuna looked to be just as worried as Asuna felt. Yet the other girl's eyes never stopped roving the enemy's lines, just as her battle stance never wavered in the slightest.

"But sensei will have to deal with the enemy on his own. I hate to say it, Asuna-san, but we may be in trouble. Our foes still have us surrounded despite the losses we inflicted in the earlier engagement. And although I do not know why, they seem content to let us make the first move. Perhaps this too was part of their plan. Rather than it being us who are keeping them here, it may be they who are keeping _us_ here."

That thought caused Asuna's stomach to flip. Then her determination to save her friend came roaring back, taking control of her emotions in a burst of adrenaline. Screw the magical resonance crap. That could be worried over later. This was only another fight, little different than chasing off schoolyard bullies, and _that_ was something Asuna knew how to handle.

She conveniently ignored the fact that most schoolyard bullies were neither ten foot tall monsters, nor said bullies usually in possession of equally large and sharp bladed weapons.

Asuna gripped her fan with both hands tightly and gave Setsuna a fierce grin. "If that's the case then let's change things up and take the fight to them. Just follow my lead and be ready to act."

Setsuna gave a quick nod of assent, and Asuna turned her gaze back to the demons. She looked around, searching the enemy's lines for someone to go after.

When you wanted to start a fight, picking your initial target was the most important part. You had to pick someone who was stupid, or someone who was quick to anger. Best of all was if you could find someone who was both an idiot _and_ quick to anger. That would make things into a piece of cake.

After looking over the ranks of demons surrounding her and Setsuna, Asuna felt that she had found a target. She lowered her fan in the demon's direction and raised her voice to taunt him.

"Hey spit-face! I see you looking at me. Yeah, you, the ugly one who looks like a pile of rotting bacon. You want a piece of this? You want my blood and flesh? Well too bad! All you'll ever get is a peek, because a coward like you isn't tough enough to take me down."

Her little speech ended, Asuna used her free hand to pull down the lower half of her eyelid as she jeered at the enemy. When taunting someone, especially when it was someone male or older than her, adding a little physical insult to the taunt usually made it a sure fire hit.

The demon in question grinned nastily at Asuna's remarks. Sharp yellow tusks jutted out from cracked lips as bloody rivulets joined the drool. The massive monster was wielding a spike club covered in dirt, and its mismatched armor could have come from the junk pile of a medieval European museum. It started to lumber towards her in a slow, thumping charge.

 _Oh, gross!_ Asuna could not help but be disgusted as the creature began to move towards her position. She knew that she and Setsuna could handle the beast, but the more she looked at it the more Asuna just wanted it to go away. _Th_ _e_ _thing look_ _ed_ _like Chamo's inner self._ _I_ _t_ _was_ _a_ _d_ _emon Chamo!_ Unfortunately, Asuna did not have time to dwell upon this sudden realization.

Moving as one, the entire group of demons charged the two girls in absolute silence. It was broken only by the jangle of weapons and armor, and the splash of water beneath their deformed feet. Asuna grit her fan tight. With a scream that tore through her throat, she and Setsuna met the charge with one of their own.

The battle was on.

Asuna caught spit-face under his jaw with her fan. The magical tool nullified the demon's power and sent the creature back to the demonic plane in an instant.

To her side, Setsuna slashed the pig man's snake faced partner and the two demon's behind it with a single cut. The special techniques of the Shinmei-Ryu sword style cut a swath of destruction through the enemy's lines with every slash of her blade. The other girl's strength was unreal, but there was no time to admire it. The next group of demons was hot on the heels of the first group.

Asuna slammed her fan onto the outstretched arm of a tentacle demon with a powerful downward blow, drawing a silent roar of pain from its lips as the creature disappeared. Continuing the downward strike and gaining momentum as she did, Asuna whipped her fan around and to her left, batting away another demon's club and crashing it into the thigh of a third just like a golfer hitting hitting a golf ball.

She took a moment to appreciate her work. Asuna had no idea how her power actually functioned, but so long as it allowed her to cut through the demonic ranks with ease and keep up with Setsuna's sublime skills then she did not really care. If it was not broken and continued to work then there was no need to question it.

The two girls fought against the larger demons with everything they had. They kept close to one another at all times; sometimes standing back to back, at other times covering each others flanks as they moved in a circular pattern. The demons who had charged them from behind had caught up to them, trapping the two girls in a tight encirclement.

Then came the moment that nearly ended things horribly. Cut off from Asuna by a short and bony demon that moved like lightning, Setsuna stabbed her sword through its throat and twisted the blade. The creature died with a brief gurgle, its body hitting the ground with a thud and splashing Setsuna with water. The black-haired swordswoman was uninjured and already looking for her next foe. Yet in death the monster nearly had its revenge.

The bony creature had managed to grip Setsuna's sword with one of its powerful claws right before the girl was able to twist and pull the blade out. The sword snapped off just above the hilt with a metallic ring. Setsuna lost her balance and stumbled to her left as the demons closed in on her.

A dagger of fear plunge itself into Asuna's heart. Surrounded and cut off, there was no way she would be able to make it to the other girl in time. Asuna swatted her fan at the demons around her, attempting to defy fate and keep their attention away from the off-balance swordswoman. But in the end it was useless. They surged in, redoubling the pressure on Asuna and buying time for their comrades to finish the black-haired swordswoman.

Unfortunately for the demons, just because her sword was broken did not mean that Setsuna was unarmed. Abandoning the broken blade without a moment's hesitation, the dark-haired girl had thrust her free hand into her torn shirt. She drew from within its tattered confines a gleaming pactio card.

It was the one Setsuna had made with Negi just before the boy had left. Even though its powers were still a mystery, the card's mere presence meant that the swordswoman could keep fighting.

A piercing yell cut across the battlefield. It echoed with magic as Setsuna cried out for her pactio to gift her with its artifact. " _Adeat!_ "

The card disappeared in a flash of light, exchanging its tiny form for that of Setsuna's new magic tool; or in this case, Setsuna's magic _tools_. A small wakizashi now lay gripped in each of her hands while fourteen identical blades hung in the air around the teen swordswoman. Each glittered with a sharp brilliance, beautiful in their deadly simplicity.

With a wordless cry of rage, Setsuna sent the encircling blades zipping into the crowd of demons as she made her way back to Asuna's side. The sixteen blades started their deadly dance, drawing grunts and hisses of pain from the demons they slashed and stabbed.

Together again, the two teen girls fought in a mindless fury. They dodged spells, batted aside blows and cut down every demon which came into range. The girls never stopped moving, because even Asuna realized that the moment they were to get bogged down would be the moment they had lost the battle.

Yet no matter how many demons they killed, more would always come into view. As the fight wore on Asuna knew that they couldn't keep this up forever. Either the demons would run out of bodies or the girls would run out of energy; and as she heaved in air through burning lungs Asuna knew which possibility was more likely.

"Setsuna-san, we need to make a break for the forest," Asuna yelled to the other girl as she slashed another demon across the front of its legs. "We're gonna get creamed if we stay down here much longer."

Setsuna nodded her assent as she stabbed her dual blades into the armpits of a short, masked demon. Swiping a once white sleeve across her face to mop up the sweat and water dripping into her eyes, the dark-haired girl used the other arm to indicate a specific direction.

"Asuna-san, get behind me and follow close. We'll only have one shot at this."

"Got it. I'll be right behind you. Let's go!"

Asuna matched action to words and placed herself behind Setsuna as the dark-haired girl darted in the direction she had indicated.

Between their artifacts and righteous anger the two teenage girls pushed their way through the crowd of enemies. They made it to the forest's edge in under a minute. And as Setsuna dealt with the last foe in their way Asuna could see a demon free forest's edge.

The twin-tailed girl passed Setsuna as she finished the demon with a lightning fast stab. With no other demons even close to catching up to them, escape was theirs for the taking. Asuna was out of the water and only a few short steps away from reaching the forest's raised embankment when a cry rang out from behind.

Turning, Asuna saw a sight which caused her heart to skip a beat. A wolf-man demon had come from out of nowhere and locked blades with Setsuna. The girl's twin sword's had gotten hooked by the serrated edges of the demon's massive blade. The demon was currently using its superior strength to keep Setsuna's swords in place as it pushed her backwards. The wolf-man wielding the large sword used its leverage to pin Setsuna's hands against her body and, in one brutally quick move, drive the black-haired girl to the water covered ground.

Barely keeping her face above the ankle deep water, Setsuna was snarling and trying to push back at the much larger demon. Her right leg kicked out at the monster's shin as she kept the fiend's giant sword from digging into her body.

" _Setsuna!_ " Asuna yelled as she dashed back to her friend. The of them had managed to come so far and do so well. There was no way Asuna was letting the damn demons get her friend when the two of them were so close to getting away. She raised her fan and prepared to slam it into the demon's ugly face.

"Get away from her, you great bloody -" Asuna's scream of rage was cutoff just as it began. A bellowing roar filled the air as a massive jet of flame shot past.

The enormous blast of fire shot out of the forest behind her, sweeping across the demon's upper body and setting it alight. The wolf-man's flesh lit like a candle doused in gasoline. Then it screamed.

It flung itself into the water, rolling over and over as it screamed at the top of its lungs. The creature's anguished voice rose and fell as it rolled over and over on the ground. Black, acrid smoke rolled off of it as its flesh melted down to the bone right before Asuna's eyes.

A long moment passed before the creature stopped moving. Its charred body lingered in the ankle deep water before finally disappearing.

Asuna stared in macabre fascination at the spot where the demon had just died. That had been different. Very different.

Aside from a few grunts and snarls, the monsters had remained silent when she and Setsuna had hit them. Nothing the two girls did seemed to cause the demons more than a mild bit of discomfort. But those flames were different. The scream the demon had let out when the flames touched it had been horrifying, chilling the young girl to the bone and making goosebumps appear on her arms.

"Asuna-san, behind you!"

Setsuna's voice snapped Asuna back to reality. Looking over her shoulder, Asuna flung herself down as another gout of fire, even bigger than the first blast, lanced out from behind her.

This blast swept across the water's surface, moving across the demonic horde's front and lancing deep into its ranks. The monsters released a horrifying, howling chorus as the fire ravaged their bodies. More blasts of flame followed it, coming in rapid fire until every last demon was set alight.

Asuna kept her body buried in the warming water the entire time, hoping that Setsuna was doing the same. As she pressed herself into the muddy water, Asuna hoped that whoever or whatever was sending these blasts was on their side. Her aching body had reached its limit.

She did not know how long it took, but eventually the piercing howls of the demons died down. The crackle of burning embers filled Asuna's ears as she slowly raised her head from the watery muck. She swiped a trembling hand across her eyes, clearing them of any dirt so she could see. Quickly locating a wide-eyed Setsuna an arms length ahead of her, the two girls shared a stunned look with one another as they raised their bodies out of the lukewarm water.

Nothing remained of the demons they had been fighting only a minute ago. Motes of fine ash drifted through the air as branches and trees hit by the fire continued to burn. Asuna touched one of the motes with a finger. It broke apart instantly.

Her throat clogged as she caught Setsuna's eye once again, the same unspoken question in both of their eyes. What sort of sorcerer was capable of such a thing? And more importantly, was that person on their side? Or were they an enemy?

Asuna opened her mouth to give voice to her questions when she saw Setsuna's face turn beet red. The other girl, usually so calm and stoic, raised a shaking hand as she pointed behind Asuna.

Dreading what might be able to rattle the veteran swordswoman, Asuna turned her head and looked. She felt her heart stop as she could hardly believe what she was seeing. A creeping flush covered her face that Asuna could feel even through the heat of the burning trees.

Standing in front of her was a grinning, pink-haired young man. He was holding one arm out with a flaming thumb-up as a crown of smoke threaded its way through his wild hair, smoke which was apparently coming out of his mouth. However, neither his flaming thumb, nor smoking mouth, nor his wild hair were what had caused her heart to stop and her face to flush. No, Asuna's reaction was entirely due to the fact that said man was also _completely naked_. Other than a scaly scarf he wore tied around his neck the man was naked as the day he was born.

Her body frozen by the absurdity of the picture, Asuna thought faintly to herself that she could see it.

She could see everything.

* * *

Natsu grinned at the two girls he had just saved. After waking up from his forced nap and hearing the sounds of a fight, the dragon slayer of fire had made his way to the battlefield as quickly as his legs could carry him. He had arrived in time to save the dark-haired girl from getting killed by some sort of beast, and _man_ did he feel good.

Being able to let loose and devastate a bunch of bad guys after he had gotten smacked around by that Jackal guy was a good pick up for Natsu's mood. Besides, few things made him feel happier than helping out those in need and kicking butt.

Even better, the two girls seemed to be alright. The dark-haired one did look a little bloody. And the bell wearing chick was pretty red in the face. But overall the two of them seemed to be okay.

"Pretty awesome, right?" Natsu said as he beamed proudly. If the two girls weren't going to talk then he might as well introduce himself. "My name is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail. And since I kicked the asses of those ugly demon guys, could the two of you help me out? Some of my friends are missing and I'm trying to find them. Have either of you seen them around?"

When neither of them answered him, Natsu scratched his head and frowned. Had his blasts made them deaf? It had happened to him before and generally resulted in hours of lost time due to miscommunication.

Thanks to Erza, though, he had long since learned a method to bypass it.

Natsu cupped his hands around his mouth, drew in a deep breath, and then yelled at them. "Oi! You two. Are you listening to me? Can you hear what I'm saying?"

Still they didn't respond. Huh. Yelling that loudly generally provoked a wide range of reactions, from anger to relief, but stunned silence was a new one. Maybe they were in shock or something in addition to being deaf.

Stopping the flow of fire to his mouth, Natsu hopped a little closer to their position to see if he could help them out. He didn't know much about medicine or fixing wounds – he left that sort of thing to Wendy – but he could at least tell if someone was suffering from anything obvious. Head knocks and broken bones were common results of Fairy Tail brawls and everyone in the guild knew how to look for the signs.

The orange-haired girl wearing bells in her hair blushed as bright as the sun when he approached, her eyes dilating wide before she covered her face with both hands. A squeak escaped her lips and she quickly turned around so that he was facing her back. Natsu scratched his head and shrugged. The girl was probably fine if she could do that, so he turned to look at the dark-haired girl.

Judging from the way she held her weapons, this girl was a more experienced combatant. The short skirt and tattered shirt didn't seem to be bloody either, hinting that she was good enough to avoid most blows before they made contact with her skin. Most of the blood on her face and arms must have come from the demons she had been fighting.

Examining her as he approached, Natsu thought that she too was fine. Although for some reason she also blushed red as he moved closer.

Eh, it probably wasn't important. He might as well try talking to them for a third time.

"Let's try this again," the dragon slayer said in a boisterous tone. "My name is Natsu and I just kicked some serious ass. Nice to meet ya!" He stuck out his right hand to her and brought back his smile. "Come on, just shake my hand already. I promise not to bite ya."

After a long, silent moment the dark-haired girl dematerialized one of her swords and timidly shook his hand. Natsu made note of it, feeling the callouses on her palms gained from long use of a sword. Thanks to Erza, any woman wielding a sword made him nervous. If this girl was even a tenth as good as Erza, then Natsu needed to respect her ability.

"There we go," Natsu said as she shook his hand, "Was that so hard?"

Still wide eyed and flushed, the girl said something in a soft voice. He didn't understand a word of it and cocked his head to the side. "Huh? What'd you just say?"

The girl repeated her words and he still didn't understand. Whatever she was saying seemed to be in a completely different language. Before he could try to investigate any further, though, the girl used her free hand to point down.

Out of curiosity, Natsu looked in the direction she was pointing and promptly saw his junk hanging freely in the night's soft breeze. His first and only thought was probably obvious to both of the flush-faced girls, whose reactions now made complete sense.

" _ _Ehhhhhh!__ "

Dropping the chick's hand and hiding his exposed lower half, Natsu took off running like a bat out of hell. Letting his friends see him naked was one thing. Running around naked in public was something else entirely.

"I am not like Lucy. I am not like Gray. I am not like Lucy. I am not like Gray!" Natsu yelled his new mantra as he streaked away from the two girls he had saved just moments ago, trying to make for the cover of the forest. "Where did my pants go? Ah! I left them in the old geezer's house before the fight with Zeref. Dammit you old bastard, why couldn't you let me dress first?" Natsu desperately looked around for something he could use to clothe himself and saw absolutely nothing. "Where's Lucy's gorilla spirit when you need her? Clothes, I want _clothes_!"

There was nothing on the forest's edge. And the clothes Natsu had seen those weird creatures wearing before he toasted them were either ash or dissolved particles of magic.

Damn! That meant that the easy way was out. Moving on to backup measures, Natsu spotted some tightly bunched bushes with rather full looking leaves. It was only a short ways into the forest from his current position.

He took off in their direction at breakneck speed. He'd seen Gray string leaves together to form makeshift clothes often enough that Natsu knew how to do it as well. Still repeating his mantra at the top of his lungs, Natsu sped for the bush and jumped into it at full force.

As he slammed into the ground with a crashing thud several things immediately occurred to Natsu.

First, bushes in the wilderness didn't usually have wooden frames or wire. Second, the ground behind the bush wasn't nearly as hard as it should have been. It was actually quite soft and squishy. Third, and most importantly, the suddenly perplexed dragon-slayer could feel something hard and metallic jabbing into an area that was never meant to have something hard and metallic shoved into it.

All of which signified that Natsu had just made a horrible mistake. And if past experiences were anything to go by then Natsu would soon be suffering the consequences of it.

He slowly raised his head from the pair of soft, fleshy mounds that had broken his fall and looked into a woman's furious, unblinking eyes. Set within a dark-skinned face framed by a mane of long black hair, the woman was giving off a vibe which reminded him eerily of Erza.

Natsu forced himself to give her a small smile as he started to brace himself. This next part was going to hurt.

The impact of a close range explosion sent him rocketing out of the bushes, yelling at the top of his lungs once again. Albeit for a very different reason.

With tears streaming from his eyes Natsu ran as hard and fast as his body could manage. He heard a crashing sound from behind him as the woman undoubtedly threw away her broken camouflage set and chased after him. To make things worse, she probably still wielding one of those shooting things that Alzack and Bisca used in their magic.

Natsu needed distance. The pain radiating from his lower body told him that it was a bad idea to stay anywhere in the girl's vicinity, as her weapons were far more powerful than anything either Alzack or Bisca had ever used. A blast that blew apart an entire tree trunk to his left made him turn on the afterburners.

The only thing he knew for certain was that somehow, someway, all of this was Gray's fault.

 **END**

 **A/N:** As you may have picked up, Natsu's sudden arrival into the world of Negima has changed things. The demons in Negima that Asuna and Setsuna fought were artistically awesome in canon but were horribly goofy (due to constraints on what can be shown or mentioned in children literature would be my guess. But as to why a bunch of weirdo perverts trying to strip an underage girl is more socially acceptable than showing a little blood is a separate topic entirely). Expect the demons of Negima (and villains as a whole) to be less goofy and more threatening in this story. I tried to establish that from that very first scene and hope that it came across.

Old readers (or those who have checked out the old version) might also realize that this chapter was actually half of my original chapter 2 and that it has undergone _extensive_ editing. After going back and looking at it I felt like this was actually a good place for a break in the flow. I am trying to get away from the sprawling 15k word chapters of the original fic and stick to about 10k words (sometimes more, hopefully fewer) per chapter.

To the comments section!

 _Natsu Dragneel:_ Natsu is definitely one of my preferred characters within FT. He's fun, simple, and reminds me of a cross between Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball. He, along with Negi, will be one of the two main protagonists of this story. So if you enjoy him, then look forward to the dragon-slayer fueled insanity he will be wreaking in Mahora.

In regards to Natsu in canon FT, the only complaints I have is that his story was wrapped up too soon. The fight with Acnologia could have been longer. His existence as E.N.D. and his relationship with Zeref could have been given an entire arc of its own. But otherwise? No complaints.

Natsu kicks ass plain and simple. He is direct and to the point, so much that people think he is an idiot. While not an intellectual like Lucy or (at times) Gray, Natsu is a feral kind of smart. He's like a younger Jack Rakan and I cannot _wait_ to get the two introduced to each other.

 _Language: _When it comes to language, think of there being three languages currently in use in this story. Negi is a native English speaker, Asuna and the other schoolgirls are (with a few exceptions) native Japanese speakers, and the Fairy Tail crew are something else entirely.

 _Japanese_ _Terms and_ _Honorifics:_ I'll be trying my hand at using some Japanese terms honorifics in this story, but only from the viewpoint of the characters who are native to Japan or Magic Mundus (even though it is likely for them to speak something else entirely, such as some derivation of ancient Greek or Hittite). I'll be following the policy that less is more, so while you can expect to see common ones such as "-kun", or "-san", or "-sensei" or "chibi", don't expect me to roll out some of the more specific ones unless I have examples from either manga to guide me (such as Kaede's "De Gozaru" habit).

I've got more than a decade of watching Japanese anime and reading Japanese manga to guide me but I am far from being fluent in the subtleties of situational honorifics – let alone the Japanese language as a whole. I'd just muck things up and come off as pretentious (if I correctly recall someone's advice from years ago) if I tried to overdo it. And if I receive overwhelmingly negative reviews about it then I might choose to drop them entirely. Time will tell.

 **Recommended Reading:** A great thing that some authors do, but which I forgot to do in Chapter 1, is to recommend good fanfics written by other authors. This time around I would like to recommend _Full Circle: Tangents_ by Ryder. It is a fantastic Code Geass fic written by a prolific fanfiction author, featuring Kallen and Lelouch as the pairing.

Until next time,

Elsil


	3. There Can Only be One with Pink Hair

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **3**

 **There Can Be Only One With Pink Hair**

It took what felt like an age for Natsu to shake off the angry girl with guns. But he had been determined and had eventually succeeded. As much as it annoyed him to run away from a fight, this was one fight he did not want.

Fighting naked after sexually harassing a group of girls was Gray's thing. Not Natsu's. And Natsu wanted to avoid copying that damn bastard in anything.

Besides, that girl had been _scary!_ Natsu's back ached from the shots of her magic tool he had not been able to dodge. The places where they had hit were numb as well, leading him to believe that the dark-skinned girl had altered the magic within them.

Panting from the exertion of his mad dash through the forest. Natsu stopped for a moment and tried to gather his bearings. Looking around, he couldn't see anything useful or dangerous nearby, but even with that strange column of light it was too dark to tell. He tested the air with a short sniff.

He wrinkled his nose in confusion at the scents he was able to pick out. Too many unfamiliar smells. More than should have been possible in some woodland in Fiore. Some of them even smelled horribly unnatural in a way that had nothing to do with magic. What few he _could_ identify were useless in the current situation.

All of which meant that his usually dependable nose was not of much help in his current situation. With his nose rendered useless, and the dark forest blocking his vision, that meant he would have to rely on his ears and his gut to move about the forest.

Natsu closed his eyes and tried to focus on his sense of hearing. His breathing steadied.

If Wendy or the others were nearby, then he would hear them.

"I can hear fighting to the north," Natsu said softly. "Blasts of magic and yelling voices, so whatever I stumbled into is going on in other places too. The south and the west are quiet, with only the sounds of animals and insects. While the east has some sort of weird, 'vrooming' noise that I've never encountered."

Natsu contemplated the situation. His instincts were warning him that silence to the south and west meant wilderness, and possibly a high possibly of the girl who had nearly blown his junk to smithereens. The girl had possessed the silent grace of a hunter as she had pursued him. It was likely that she knew how to move without making any noise.

The pain which still radiated from his lower region, as well as his continued state of dress, made the thought of walking into an ambush highly unappealing.

Meanwhile, the weird noises to the east were completely unknown to him. They sounded a little like those magical vehicles that Erza liked to use, but the smell coming from their direction made his nose wrinkle in disgust. That was just as well. Even thinking about some encountering some kind of new man-made transportation caused a wave of nausea to make itself known in the dragon-slayer's stomach.

This meant that the only direction left to choose was north.

Raging battles were fun. Plus, there was a more than even chance that some of the other members of Fairy Tail were involved in it. Fighting was sort of their thing, and if Natsu had run into trouble then maybe they had as well.

"Easy choice," Natsu said happily. He walked towards the north, picking up some leaves as he moved so as to make some crude underwear.

Having a clear objective was always a good thing in his opinion. If it led to a fight or three along the way once he was decently covered, then that just made it even better. All he needed to do was to avoid the girl with the magic blaster, and avoid making any other mistake which might reek of Gray, and everything would be okay.

A knife shooting of the darkness and destroying the half-made underwear ruined his brightened outlook.

"Or, instead of finding one of my friends, I could find yet _another_ angry looking girl. Only this one is wielding a sword. That could happen too," Natsu grumbled as yet another new girl approached him.

Did she have to destroy his underwear with the first shot? It was like the universe was trying to say that it wanted him to fight like Gray.

Natsu did not appreciate it. He did not appreciate the message in the slightest.

Covering his privates as best he could with one hand, Natsu waved at the girl with his other arm. Her giant spectacles and curly long hair made her look a little like Laki from the guild. Although her hair was nearly the same shade of pink as his own, and the girl's outfit looked like some kind of doll he had seen Lucy drooling over once or twice.

The way she held her sword, however, did not resemble the kindhearted Laki, nor any doll Natsu had seen, in the slightest. Natsu never seen either have a look on their face that resembled a demented child looking to pluck the wings off of some kind of an insect.

Despite his better instincts – which were screaming at him to shut up, knock her out, and then run for the north as fast as he could – Natsu took a deep breath and tried to communicate with this strange new girl. He had avoided fighting like Gray just a little bit ago. Maybe the universe would spare him a second time.

"Hey, before we get into this, let's talk for a second," he began. "My name is Natsu, and I'm a little lost. I can't find my friends and -"

The girl's slicing sword cut off the rest of what he had been about to say. Natsu barely ducked in time as while the girl screamed something at him in a language he didn't understand. A few strands of pink hair drifted in the breeze.

 _ _Ah well, at least I tried__ , Natsu thought to himself as he punched her in the face. The girl stumbled back with a cry of rage. Then her sword sliced at his legs and came too close for comfort. Natsu could curse the universe for forcing him to fight like Gray after he had won.

* * *

Asuna uncovered her face as she once more stared in shock at the strange young man who was currently running up the slope and into the forest. The young girl's mind had gone numb. How could such a powerful sorcerer be so completely stupid as to forget his clothes?

The guy hadn't said anything she could understand, but his reaction to Setsuna's gesture was unmistakable. He had been completely naked and he hadn't even realized it.

What an idiot!

As she watched him run haphazardly up the hill, his unmentionables swinging in the air, Asuna swore to herself that she would never let Negi grow into such a wizard. So long as she had anything to say about it, this picture would never repeat itself with Negi taking the place of the pink-haired man. She would keep him on the straight and narrow path even if it took the rest of her life to accomplish.

Asuna's numb mind did a double flip. Wait, why was she thinking about a future with the brat? And why had it been triggered by a man who was naked? No, none of that was okay in the slightest! It was wrong. All wrong. Asuna shook her head in a violent attempt to clear out those treacherous thoughts by force, trying to summon comforting thoughts of Takamichi to take their place.

The naked fire mage stopped running along the forest's edge and disappeared into pile of bushes, still yelling at the top of his lungs. She couldn't make out most of what he was saying, but it seemed like he was saying the same thing over and over again.

Beyond confused, and seriously beginning to question her own sanity, Asuna looked over at Setsuna to see if the other girl had any idea what was going on with the crazy fire mage.

Unfortunately the dark-haired swordswoman seemed to be even worse off than Asuna. Setsuna still had her hand outstretched and appeared to be muttering something to herself with a mortified look on her face. Meanwhile, the hand still bearing a sword had tightened its grip around its hilt. The white of her knuckles stood out from the pressure she was exerting. It didn't seem that Setsuna would be of much help.

Asuna turned her head away and looked back at the forest. Maybe the last few moments had been a dream or an hallucination? That was possible, right? Or maybe an enemy mage had trapped them in some kind of weird illusion? Considering that Asuna had seen vampires and demons, mind altering illusions _had_ to be a thing.

Alas, her hopes were not proven true.

The moment Asuna turned her head to look back towards the forest, the pink-haired man came flying out of the bushes he had jumped into just moments ago. Yelping in pain, the man took off faster than Asuna had thought humanly possible.

Two dark shapes burst out from the same bushes. They followed him at a similarly breakneck speed, with the lead shape pointing two guns at the man as blasts of magic burst from the barrels.

 _Asuna blinked_ _as she wiped her eyes with both hands before looking at them once again_ _. Those two shapes looked familiar!_

 _She took a close_ _r_ _look_ _at their retreating backs_ _. It was Mana, and Ku Fei too! Why were they here in the forest? Could they also be mages like Negi and Setsuna?_

Asuna called out to them but her two classmates ignored her and kept chasing the strange man. Whatever had happened in that bush had not taken long but had sure lit a fire underneath the two girls. The three racing figures soon disappeared into another section of the forest in flashes of magic and a stream of sound, leaving behind an utterly confused Asuna as Setsuna continued to mutter under her breath.

It took some time, but after a few minutes of nothing new happening Asuna finally felt her mind pull itself back together. While seeing someone run around naked was nothing new for Mahora – it actually seemed to happen with a disturbing level of frequency – seeing a mage capable of giant blasts of flames running around like a naked idiot while being chased by her classmates had broken something inside of her young maidenly heart. It was weird, it was wrong, and considering how weird Eva and Konoka's grandfather were, it did not bode well for Negi's future.

Asuna slapped her cheeks with both hands to try and drive the images, and all of their horrible associations, out of her mind. It was time to get back to the reason why she and Setsuna had come here in the first place.

"Alright, Setsuna-san, snap out of it," she said, reaching out a hand to shake the other girl's shoulder. "This whole strange incident aside, we've still got to backup Negi and save Konoka. As far as we know things aren't going well for him and he just might need our help."

With a strangled yelp of ' _ _Ojou-sama,__ ' Setsuna stopped her muttering and snapped out of whatever world she had been trapped within.

"Y-y-yes, Asuna-san. You are right. We should hurry as well," the other girl stuttered. "Even if my body and mind are no longer pure for Ojou-sama, I can still lay down my life to save her."

Asuna raised an eyebrow at the other girl before shrugging. That last statement had certainly been telling. But it wasn't any of her business to ask so long as it didn't stop them from rescuing Konoka and saving Negi.

* * *

Back in the depths of the woods Natsu found that he was actually enjoying himself. Unlike that bastard he had been fighting before Warrod cast _Fairy Sphere_ _,_ _or the dark-skinned girl with the blaster_ , this opponent didn't use any tricks or long range nonsense. It was pure swordsmanship and magical skill versus flashing fists and fiery blasts. A straight-up, who could stand longer, hack, slash, and bash battle.

This was exactly the kind of fight Natsu happened to love the most.

Blocking yet another slash of her sword with a blazing left arm, Natsu slammed his right fist into her stomach and unleashed a magical blast of fire. " _Fire Dragon's Elbow!_ "

Not exactly a traditional piece of fire dragon magic, Natsu had gifted the move with a name full of awesome after creating it way back when he was a kid playing around with the magic his father, the great fire dragon Igneel, was teaching him. It was an effective move that managed to catch his opponent off-balance.

The blast sent the glasses wearing chick rocketing through the forest with her clothes ablaze as Natsu held his left arm gingerly. He still hadn't fully recovered from his battle against Jackal and he kept forgetting that his body wasn't in perfect condition. Blocking her latest attack had caused some of the wounds healed by Wendy to throb in pain.

The girl recovered quickly, stabbing her sword into the ground and planting her feet onto the trunk of a nearby tree to stop her momentum as her charred dress swirled around her legs. She also extinguished the flames covering her body with some sort of magic pulse that made Natsu raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

Raising her eyes, the girl jumped forward at him with her sword extended in a simple thrust. While the girl's swordsmanship was undeniable, her sense of tactics was not the greatest.

Natsu slammed his hands together in front of his chest just before she reached his position. " _Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_ "

A flash of fire roared out from the point where his hands met, hitting the small figure in front of him and blocking her body from his vision. The fiery blast tore into the earth around them, tearing a huge furrow into the ground as the magic was released.

Smoke hung in the air as several trees burned nearby, set ablaze by Natsu's magic.

The dragon-slayer blinked. He wiped a hand across his face to get the sweat off of it and let loose a held breath. After all the fights he had been in, the chase from before, and with his wounds still not fully healed, Natsu's stamina seemed to be reaching its limits. If he wasn't careful he might end up exhausting himself before he even reached the place where he had heard a magical battle being waged. And that could not be allowed.

"Phew." Natsu muttered to himself. "Maybe that one got her."

He peered about and didn't see any trace of the girl. While he hadn't meant to kill her, the power of his blast was strong enough to turn a normal human's body to ash. Natsu really hoped that she was not that fragile. In spite of all of the fights and battles he had been in, he had never killed a person. He had no intention breaking that streak tonight.

A tingle on the back of his neck was his only warning.

Natsu flung his body to the forest floor, rolling to his left before coming up with a flaming jump kick. He had dodged the girl's downward blow but she in turn blocked his kick with the flat of her sword. The two combatants exchanged a lightning fast series of attacks and counterattacks before jumping back. Both eyed each other warily once they landed.

As they stood still, the girl said a few words to him in that strange language before gesturing to his midriff. Then she sneered.

Natsu let loose a growl from within his throat at the threat. Some things passed any language barrier and needed no translation.

"Oi, no need to go threatening some guy's junk, even if he's pulling a Gray," Natsu called out to her. "It's not my fault that I'm like this. Besides, I didn't even do anything to you. You're the one who attacked me!"

The girl seemed to get the message. Taking one hand off of her sword's handle, she fished around in a pocket conveniently located somewhere in her dress.

The action caused Natsu to blink once again. The girl's pockets had blended in so well that the dragon slayer had completely missed seeing them. It was a good thing that she hadn't stored any weapons in them, or used any weapons which might possibly be inside of them. He would need to keep that in mind when their duel kicked back into gear.

After a few seconds of searching within the depths of her pockets, the girl pulled out some sort of paper talisman. She placed it on her forehead and it gave a pulse of magic as it activated. The thing had some sort of strange writing on it that Natsu had never seen before, but he had seen enough of magic to know when he was looking at a talisman. It's nature became clear the moment she opened her mouth.

" _Now_ we'll be able to understand one another," the girl hissed at him. "So say something before I gut you with my sword and dance in your entrails, you uncouth dog. Even perverts deserve their final words."

Natsu almost leaped for joy. He had understood the girl's words! Finally, he was beginning to make some progress in this messed up situation! But wait, did she still think he was a pervert? Damn Warrod and Zeref both! Damn them for making others see him in the same light as Gray!

"It wasn't my choice! I didn't even try to fight you before you attacked me." Natsu yelled. He flailed his arms as he spoke, punctuating his words with emphatic, angry gestures. "Besides, it's these two old guys' fault that I'm naked in the first place. Not mine!"

The woman just stared at him. Natsu waited for her to reply, but she seemed to have been stricken mute by his words. Maybe he needed to explain things in more detail?

"Ya see, I got attacked at a hot spring by this one old guy and a bunch of his dudes. Then another old guy I knew cast a spell on my partners, and between fighting off the guys who had attacked me and helping the other old guy cast his spell I only had time to grab my scarf."

The chick continued to stare at him with a flat, unbelieving gaze. Bah! He should have known better than to try and reason with someone that was trying to stab him. Reasoning with people like that never worked. Not until Natsu beat them black and blue to knock it into their thick heads. Or so his many experiences fighting people like Gray and Jellal had taught him.

"Anyway, why are you trying to neuter me?" Natsu yelled as he flung a hand in her direction. "Like I said, I didn't _do_ anything to you – you found me and just attacked!"

The girl just kept staring.

Natsu grabbed his hair with both hands and started to pull. Her stare was really starting to piss him off! "Stop looking at me like that, _dammit_ _!_ It's annoying!" Natsu yanked harder, wishing to the high heavens that someone else he knew was nearby. He would even take Happy popping up with some annoying comment over this crazy girl's psychotic stare.

A dark, cutesy chuckle coming from deep within her throat finally ended her incessant staring.

"Ignorance of your crime does not absolve you of your misdeed, not before me, Tsukuyomi. You shot fire at my senpai. You tried to kill my senpai. And afterward," she spoke, her voice beginning to quiver with rage, "you had the temerity, the utter _gall_ , to proposition her with your body. My pure, sweet, innocent senpai. _How dare you_ _!_ _Senpai is mine!_ _And_ _mine alone!_ I will _cut off your_ _ _balls__ _for daring to desecrate her heavenly self_!"

The girl's eyes flashed as she screamed the last four sentences, her gaze promising pain. She then punctuated her words with a slash from her sword that shot some sort of strange energy at him in a sweeping arc. Natsu punched his left fist forward and released a torrent of sustained fire, causing her attack to shatter as smoke billowed into the air.

Natsu was no longer having fun. Fighting was one thing. Defending his comrades against the latest bad guy was another. But maiming him for something that was not even his fault just ticked him off.

He called out to her, his annoyance clear in his voice. "Oi, you serious about this?"

A second slash came screaming in from the smoke left by their clash. Natsu blocked this attack as well, releasing even more smoke into the air.

Then, with a shrug of his shoulders as he growled to himself, the dragon slayer waded deeper into the smoke. The girl was beginning to tick him off, but at least she was consistent. It was good when enemies were consistent with their intentions and their actions. It made his own actions simple and clear as well.

The two of them resumed their fight right where they had left off. Surrounded by the smoke, both combatants had to rely on their other senses to attack and defend. Natsu launched devastating punches at the girl only to have them dodged or blocked with the flat of her blade. The dragon slayer found himself dodging strikes as well, feeling the girl's sword slice through the air next to his skin more than once.

As he blocked several more slashes with bursts of fire from his hands, Natsu grimaced in annoyance. He couldn't quite get a bead on her in this forest. The girl was skilled enough to make things difficult for him, always attacking from a blind spot, and his injured body was moving slower than usual. He needed to use close quarters combat or a powerful finishing move to clear things out and give him the advantage. Since he had been unable to gain the advantage in the smoke, chances were that he would have to wait for an opportunity to hit her with one of his big spells.

Then the girl darted in close and took the choice out of his hands. It was a mistake on her part and Natsu made sure to capitalize on it.

She aimed a feint at his head before slashing at his midriff. Seeing through the move, Natsu let the two blows slide past him. He then clamped his hands down on the flat of the blade with both hands and lifted his right leg. His crushing kick slammed into the center of her stomach and caused the girl's eyes to bulge as the breath whooshed from her lungs.

Her grip on the blade slackened and she soon dropped to her knees, gasping for air.

Letting go of the blade with one hand, Natsu delivered a swift chop to the back of her neck with the other. As good as she was, it seemed that she had never fought an unarmed combat specialist who was able to grab onto her sword in mid swing. Between that and her unnatural rage, the odd girl had clearly not been fighting at her peak ability.

But that didn't bother Natsu. A win was a win after all, especially when it was the other person who had picked the fight in the first place.

Natsu let her body fall to the forest's floor. The dragon-slayer then tossed the girl's sword deep into the woods.

He stared at her for a long moment, waiting to see if she could get up and resume the fight. All the girl did was lie on the ground and twitch her hands every few seconds as her eyes started to flutter open. She would recover soon enough, but having to locate her sword would stop the girl from pursuing him for a good long while.

With that accomplished, only one piece of business remained between them.

Natsu bent over and plucked the girl's paper talisman from the ground. It had fallen at some point during their battle, and Natsu wanted the girl to understand his next words. He placed the strip of magical paper back onto her head so the girl could clearly understand his words.

"Fight me again when you are stronger and I've got some clothes on. We can settle things then in a fair fight. My name is Natsu Dragneel, and I am a member of Fairy Tail. And Fairy Tail Mages always keep their word."

With one last look at the girl as she twitched in rage, Natsu took the paper off and resumed his march northward.

Only to quickly come face to face with a very large, very angry, and very singed bear with a sword sticking out of its shoulder that immediately bit down on his injured arm.

 **END**

 **A/N:** Like I said previously, I am trying to get away from my massive chapters. I'll bust a big one out every once in awhile but they will be few and far between.

What did you all think of the first series of fights? Were they good? Bad? Too long or too short? Leave a review or send in a PM. I always feel that fight scenes are a weakness of mine as a writer and I would like to improve them. It's a major reason why I went so heavy on them in the first few chapters of this fic.

This will also be the last of the quick updates. The next update will be on 11/9/18 and should follow a weekly schedule from there until we get to 1 chapter beyond what I had originally posted in the old fic.

On to the comments section!

 _Tsukuyomi:_ Ugh. I really wished that I could have avoided using her in this fic (she is far from my favorite character), but it was just not possible. She was the only proper Negima antagonist in the area – other than Fate, who is busy with Negi – who could give the Dragon-slayer more than a moment of hesitation in a fight. Mana could too, but I wasn't willing to bust out her demonic form at this time.

In Negima canon, Tsukuyomi went from being a moderately difficult opponent in the Kyoto arc to a near-boss level opponent in the final arc. This discrepancy always bothered me, so I'm choosing to place her closer to her final level of power (I'm also changing her hair color from brown to pink, because of plot reasons) and say that she was just messing around under restrictions placed upon her by Fate when she first encountered the others off screen. She will also use her defeat at Natsu's hands to become stronger so as to wash away the shame of her defeat with his blood. Or attempt to.

In canon she was obsessed with Setsuna (poor Setsuna is like Gray in FT; always getting the short end of the stick. And no, it's not a knock against Juvia. I'm just pointing out that Gray keeps having bad things happen to him like Ultear and his dad dying), and that's not going to change in this fic. She will just add a boiling hatred of Natsu for 'defiling' the unwilling object of her affection into the mix as well.

 _Fate Averruncus:_ Don't worry, Fate will be making an appearance. Just not for a very long while as I did not feel the need to change anything about his interactions with Negi and the others at this time.

 _Power Levels:_ As we all learned in Bleach, Naruto, DBZ and DBZ Abridged, power levels often make _zero_ sense and are constantly being changed. It's true in anime. It's true in cartoons. It's even true in comic books and in blockbuster movies. Although I will try to keep things believable and coherent (because variable power levels drive me batty), my fic may end up no different. All I can say is that it _will_ follow its own system.

A system that I will be making clear with a series of upcoming fights involving multiple characters from FT and Negima (like Natsu and Tsukuyomi's battle in this chapter). Eventually some characters, like Wendy, will end up far more powerful than their canon selves as this story goes further. While others may fall before they reach their own canon levels of power.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Better Late_ by Ariana Deralte. It is a short, 1.5k word Naruto fanfic which takes a tongue in cheek look at how Kakashi started being late.

Until next time,

Elsil


	4. Everything is Under Control

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **4**

 **Everything is Under Control**

The next day Asuna hummed happily to herself as she wandered. The halls of Konoka's family mansion were wide and open, and it was beautiful morning.

Shortly after the unnerving fight with the demons and meeting the naked pinkette fire mage, Asuna and Setsuna had been summoned by Negi to the great Altar upon which Konoka had been bound by the boy's enemy, the enigmatic Fate. The two ministra, a title which Negi had said was given to those who served as a mage's partners, joined with him to engage Fate and the villain's partner in crime, an Eastern style sorceress named Chigusa.

That fight had gone so much better than the one Asuna and Setsuna had waged against the demons. Negi had managed to trap Fate with a spell of binding while Asuna banished Chigusa's spirit summons, leaving the way open for Setsuna to save their friend from being drained by Fate's spell.

The black-haired swordswoman had revealed her demonic heritage to a shocked Negi and Asuna when Setsuna used her wings to swoop in and grab Konoka as she floated in midair. The black-haired girl had looked as beautiful as an angel to Asuna, and the image had just felt right to her. As though she and Negi were only supporting characters in a story that starred Setsuna and Konoka as a knight and her princess.

Unfortunately, it was then that things had taken a turn for the worse.

As Setsuna flew off with Konoka Asuna and Negi were battling a freed Fate as a giant demon awoke from its slumber beside them. The demon was the crux of Fate's mysterious plan, and its freedom was what the white-haired boy had sought all along. Sealing the beast had taken both Negi's father, the Thousand Master, and Konoka's own father, Eishun Konoe, working together while at the height of their powers.

With just Asuna and Negi around, and distracted by fighting a determined Fate, things had started to look bad for them. The emo looking villain had had them on the ropes as he taunted them over their helplessness. But then an evil greater than either Fate or the sealed demon made its appearance and changed the flow of battle once again.

The Dark Evangel, Evangeline A.K. McDowell, a High Day Walker vampire and another one of Negi's students, appeared from Fate's shadow and blew him away in one blow. Then with the aid of her robot servant Chachamaru, Evangeline had proceeded to annihilate the awakening demon in one massive blast. The vampire's overwhelming power had annihilated the being in an instant and brought the night's battle to a close.

Seeing that the tables had been turned and his plan had failed, Fate launched one futile attack against the vampire before finally running away. It was clear to the orange-haired girl that she and Negi had not seen the last of him, and this worried her. After all, someone with the power to land an attack on Evangeline and escape with his life intact had taken an interest in her and Negi. That could only bode ill for the future.

But those were thoughts for another day. Today was made for Asuna to enjoy with Negi and the rest of class 3-A as they enjoyed the end of their trip to Kyoto.

As Asuna skipped out of the hallway and into an open-air section of the mansion she couldn't help but laugh as she stared into the brightly lit forest. She had defied demons, escaped a pink-haired pervert, fought a sorceress bent on revenge, rescued a damsel in distress and defied a being of frightening power straight to his face.

All things considered that had to be considered a rousing success. She was still alive, her friends were still alive, and she believed that the future would be bright.

The young girl raised her voice higher as she dashed out to do cartwheels on the well-kept grass. It was a glorious day and she was going to celebrate, decorum be damned!

The young girl whirled and twirled along the grass as she basked in the simple joy of being alive. Demons, creepy children, and a perverted idiot had tried their best to end her life, but she was still here.

Eventually, a rumbling noise from her stomach reminded her why she had been skipping through the hallways in the first place. Konoka's father had said that breakfast would be available early in the morning and had asked that Asuna and the others be present so as to be celebrated. Never one to turn down free food, especially if it was anything like Konoka's cooking, Asuna had promised that she would attend.

With the delicious smell of breakfast on the air, Asuna's body was doing its best to remind her of its current state.

"I can sing and cartwheel another time," Asuna said to herself as she passed some neatly trimmed hedges on her way back to the mansion. "Now it's time for food. Mm... food." Asuna giggled in delight, the twin bells in her hair jingling as she bounced up and down in excitement.

Before she could put on the jets and run off towards the dining area, though, a dark skinned hand appeared from behind a nearby hedge and waved at her. Wondering who it was and why they were trying to delay her from getting some delicious food, Asuna walked over to investigate.

Popping her head over the hedge's side, Asuna saw Ku Fei sitting cross-legged on a comfortable looking blanket. The blonde Chinese girl was digging into a plate of meaty stew, the smell of which made Asuna's mouth water. It was definitely the smell that was filling the air, and at that moment Asuna wanted nothing more than to eat it.

Ku Fei pointed to a nearby pot and gestured for Asuna to join her. "It's not Chao-Bao-Zi-aru, but Mana's cooking is really good," the lean martial artist said in accented Japanese, "You should try some meat-aru. It's delicious and good for the body too!"

Asuna smiled as she twisted her head and looked around. She did not see anyone looking.

With a quick jump, Asuna bounded over the hedge and landed next to her classmate. "Thanks Ku Fei! I was really starting to get hungry," Asuna said as she grabbed an empty bowl and filled it with stew.

This could serve as an appetizer to her meal with Konoka's dad, and she had questions that she wanted to ask the other girl. With a cry of, "Itadakimasu," the orange-haired girl dug in to the stew.

As Asuna ate, Ku sipped from a cup filled with water from a nearby thermos. Birds were chirping in nearby tree, and the already beautiful day just seemed to get better as they talked and visited with one another.

Asuna found herself thinking that Ku Fei made for surprisingly fun company as they ate. The two girls generally associated with one another only when both attended after school make up sessions. It was good to get to know her in a different setting.

As they ate, Asuna tried to ask what had brought the other girl into the woods last night, but could only blink in confusion at the response. For the moment Asuna had finished asking her question Ku Fei began blabbering on about powerful enemies and destined meetings between foes.

It had sounded like something one might encounter in an old martial arts movie, but from the look on the other girl's face Asuna could tell that that Ku Fei was utterly serious. Asuna had tried to rephrase her question, but when Ku Fei repeated the exact same thing she had said before, only in even greater detail, Asuna gave up and asked if the person who had been with Ku Fei in the woods last night had been Mana. If so, then maybe the other girl could answer Asuna's questions instead.

The beautiful, dark skinned woman was a complete enigma to her, and Asuna found herself thinking about what other sorts of skills she might be hiding. Asuna had never expected either Mana or Ku Fei to know about magic.

Ku Fei had answered yes, but had then clammed up tightly. Supposedly anything to with Mana and magic was the other girl's personal business and could only be answered by her.

As she waited for Mana to return, Asuna tried to keep the conversation going between her and Ku Fei.

"Thanks for the meal, Ku Fei. That was delicious!" She clapped her hands together to underscore her words. "What was it made with? I don't think that I've ever tasted something like it."

Ku gave a slight shrug. "Nothing special went into it-aru, except for the meat. Mana and I gathered the ingredients last night as we hunted the destined foe that attacked her. We were really lucky-aru! This is a once in a lifetime meal here in Japan. You see, special meat make all the difference-aru."

Asuna sat still as she processed Ku's words. Some of it had actually started to make sense to her. By destined foe, did she mean the pink-haired pervert who had jumped into the bushes last night?

Then a terrifying thought occurred to Asuna as Ku Fei's words penetrated, prompting a quick gag.

"Ku Fei," Asuna squeaked out as she started to choke. "That destined foe you just mentioned. Are you telling me that this came from a hu-, I mean to say, a hum-, a hu-human being? Did you and Mana skin him alive and _cook_ his remains?"

Asuna looked at her hands as a wave of nausea rose within her belly. She could feel a wail of horror begin to build in her chest at the thought of what she had just done. "Oh God, I just became a cannibal didn't I? Didn't I? _Noooo!_ I'm not ready for prison life! I'm too young to go to jail, and even if he was a pervert, he didn't deserve to be eaten. How could you do this to me Ku Fei? _How could you!_ "

"Eh, ah, Asuna, I don't think -"

"No! No you didn't think did you? That was illegal, and we're all going to pay for it."

"No-aru, that's not what-"

"Oh God. What's Negi going to think of this. It could cause him to go down an even worse path than that pink-haired pervert did. Or Takahata-sensei. Oh dear God in Heaven, Takahata-sensei is going to _hate_ me when he finds out about this."

"Asuna!"

Ku Fei's yell snapped Asuna out of her sobs. She directed a teary glare at the girl's perplexed face. "What, Ku Fei? What now? What else have you and Mana done that will ruin my life and cause Takahata-sensei to abandon me?"

"It's just, do you mean that guy over there?" The Chinese girl finally said as she pointed to a hedge nearby. "He's fine-aru. Just beat up and unconscious."

Asuna stopped sobbing long enough to take a look in the direction Ku Fei was pointing. Hoping beyond hope that the other girl was telling the truth and that she had not just fed Asuna stew made from a human's body, Asuna poke her head over the hedge. She quickly gave a gasp of relief.

Unconscious and hanging by his wrists and ankles from a rather thick pole was the pink-haired man from the night before. No longer naked, he was now wrapped in a bearskin robe, a multitude of bandages, and that ridiculous white scarf around his neck.

Asuna felt sweet relief sweep across her.

"The bear he killed was delicious wasn't it-aru." Ku Fei said as she moved around the hedge to stand beside the man. "Mana and I were happy to run across both of them at once-aru. We were able to kill two birds with one stone by knocking him out and taking the bear for food."

Asuna's tears turned to joy as she continued to sob. "Oh thank you Ku Fei. Thank you! Yes! Praise be to Takahata. Our marriage is saved!"

She then flung herself onto her Chinese classmate, scattering bowls and cutlery everywhere in her haste. "I'm so sorry for ever doubting you Ku Fei. You are a wonderful person and a great classmate. I'm so happy that I could almost kiss you right now!"

"Um, okay-aru. Ku Fei is... happy that you are happy-aru." Ku Fei said as she awkwardly patted Asuna's back with a confused look on her face. "It is no problem, but I am okay not kissing-aru. I like strong boys with muscles. Not soft girls."

Asuna laughed at that and nodded her head. "Me too Ku Fei. But just remember that Takahata-sensei is mine, okay?"

"That's fine-aru. I like better muscles than Takahata-sensei has."

"Hold on there Ku Fei. Are you saying that Takahata-sensei looks bad?"

"No! Not that-aru. I like men like Bruce Lee, or Shio Sasaki, or Apachai Hopachai. Just that."

"Good! Because Takahata-sensei is the greatest!"

"Eh heh heh, sure-aru."

Some time later after Asuna had calmed down and made sure that Ku Fei was in fact not interested in competing with Asuna for their former teacher's affection, Asuna went over to study the pink-haired man more closely.

"So, Ku Fei. Do you or Tatsumiya-san have any idea what this guy was doing out in the woods last night?"

Ku Fei shook her head. "He didn't speak Japanese-aru. Mana and I tried a bunch of other languages too, but he didn't seem to know any of them either-aru."

The Chinese martial artist took a drink from a cup of water which sat beside her before continuing. "Mana was hoping to speak with Negi-bouzu about a spell of translation, but left to take a business call before she could-aru. I think."

Asuna nodded. That made sense to her. She wasn't a mage or anything, nor did she really know much about it, but with Negi being a genius magician and all there was definite chance he might be able to do something about it.

But wait, how did Mana know that Negi might be able to do something like that. Did they know that he was a mage? As far as Asuna knew the two girls had only seen Asuna and Setsuna.

Suddenly worried on behalf of her tiny teacher, Asuna gave voice to her questions and pinned her classmate with a hard stare. If demons and creepy children couldn't stop her from protecting the boy then she could certainly protect him from the likes of her various classmates.

Ku Fei merely smiled. "I'm only a newcomer myself, but Mana is a famous magical mercenary who has traveled the globe-aru. She's really strong, and I think that she has teamed up with Setsuna and the others in the past to do magic jobs too-aru." Ku Fei then shrugged. "If you want to know more-aru, you have to ask Mana yourself. Like I said before-aru, everyone has secrets. I am an honorable keeper of what I am told."

Asuna sighed and looked at the hog-tied pinkette in annoyance at Ku Fei's repeated refusal to answer any questions about Mana. Maybe she was starting to become used to all of the insanity. Learning that one of her classmates was a world-famous mercenary should have surprised her, but it had not. When you found out that your teacher was a child magician, one classmate was a centuries old vampire and another was an honest to goodness _robot_ , a mercenary seemed rather tame in comparison.

For all she knew, one of her other classmates could turn out to be a time-traveler sent from the future to destroy the world. That, or they had been sent back in time to ensure that Negi survived to carry out some holy plan to save the world. One option was as plausible as the other, but neither one had any bearing on her current situation.

Which brought her back to the pink-haired target of her initial train of thought. The strange man was not known to either Setsuna or Mana, both of whom seemed to have sources of magical information that Negi did not, yet the odd pervert had clearly used magic to kill the horde of demons. Powerful magic. More powerful than anything she had seen Negi use outside of his final clash with Eva.

Asuna gave a tiny harrumph. With him being unable to communicate, that meant she would have to find that annoying teacher of hers before Eva kidnapped him for the day like the vampire had been threatening to do ever since she had saved them from Fate. Asuna would probably have to try explaining Ku Fei and Mana's situation to both of them while she was at it. All of which would be very annoying.

Still, curiosity eventually beat out the possible annoyance of having to deal with an irate Evangeline. And she did owe the stranger for helping her and Setsuna.

"I'll be back with Negi in a minute, Ku Fei," Asuna said as she stood up. "Just keep that guy here until we get back. 'Kay?"

Ku Fei acknowledged Asuna's words and waved as the other girl departed. "I'll be right here-aru. No prisoner has ever escaped from me."

The man gave out a groan as his eyes started to flutter open. Then Ku Fei stabbed her fingers onto some kind of pressure point by his neck. The man slumped back and started to snore. "See-aru? Everything is under control."

* * *

It took Asuna almost no time to locate Negi. But it did take quite some time time to explain the situation and pry him away from Eva's demented clutches. The small vampire was in a rather animated mood. Probably due to it being the first time in a decade that she was able to freely move around, and she did not appreciate Asuna ruining her plans to torment the young boy teacher.

Even after hearing the story of his sudden appearance during the battle and apparent power, the vampire had declared that naked pink-haired men had little interest for her regardless of their strength. She had refused to budge no matter what Asuna offered and things had started to turn into an argument between the two girls.

Thankfully, Negi had been impressed enough by both Asuna's description of the man's magical abilities and her threats of bodily harm if Negi didn't help her that he too wanted to see the man. Eva had sulked and yelled and thrown a tantrum no self-respecting vampire should ever throw, but eventually gave in. On the condition that Negi accompany her throughout the city immediately afterwards and serve as her minion until she left.

Finally having calmed the irate vampire, Asuna and the rest made their way back to Ku Fei. Along the way back the group had also picked up Setsuna and Konoka. The black-haired swordswoman had been attempting to run away from everyone over some silly reason, and might have made it away if not for Asuna and Negi throwing themselves onto her and stopping her long enough to Konoka to pile on top and send them tumbling to the ground.

Asuna had yelled, Negi and Konoka had cried, while Setsuna tried to argue with Asuna before joining in on the crying. All while Eva had hid her face behind her hands and muttered about the stupidity of children.

In short order the five of them, Ku Fei, a returned Mana, and Chachamaru were standing in front of the still unconscious pink-haired man. Mana had returned while they were gone, and Chachamaru had appeared out of thin air at Eva's side the moment the group had stepped out of the mansion.

Asuna had been slightly alarmed by her sudden appearance, but it seemed that the girl was still as docile as ever. Chachamaru had not been an opponent since the midnight fight with Eva and had displayed nothing but good behavior since.

The group stood for a short time as everyone waited for someone else to start the conversation. After all, while everyone present had some connection to magic and to each other only Mana and Setsuna seemed to have known about the other's identity as fellow magic users. The air started to get awkward as they waited for someone to break the ice.

It was Negi who went first. The young boy's face was set in a serious expression as he spoke.

"I don't know how you learned of my secret, Tatsumiya-san, but as your teacher I feel that I have to ask. What did you and Ku Fei-san do to keep this man unconscious for so long? I don't want my students to get in trouble for causing harm to someone who might be an innocent man, but if you did something illegal then it would be best if you told me so that I can help you."

Stepping up beside him, Mana smiled softly. She drew one of her pistols and popped out a shell that she passed to the diminutive teacher. "There is no need to worry, sensei. Most of the wounds you see on his body were not caused by Ku Fei or myself. Since we arrived here Ku Fei and I have been using pressure points to keep him unconscious. Nothing else.

"Wait, most of the wounds were not caused by you? So you did cause some of them?"

Mana nodded her head. "Ku Fei and I came upon him after he had just killed a rather large forest bear. The bear had managed to wound him, and seeing an opening I took advantage of this distraction to shoot him with several high-powered sleeping bullets. Ku Fei also engaged him in hand to hand combat while they took effect and may have gotten somewhat rough with him."

The dark-skinned girl gave a grim smile as she recounted her story. "The man was remarkably durable. Even though he had been injured by the bear, and bore what look to be wounds caused by a Japanese sword of some kind, I still had to hit him with four clips worth of ammunition. It is often harder to take someone alive than it is to take their life, but this man possesses a magic resistance that is far higher than that of the average mage."

She then gave a shrug as her expression faded back to its normal level of clinical dispassion. "As for what will most likely be your next two questions, sensei, please allow me to answer them now. I had surmised your powers due to your last name and place of origin. Everyone in the magical world knows of your father and I am no stranger to its dangers. But," and here Mana gestured to the side, "Ku Fei here is still a newcomer to our world. She had experienced nothing of a magical nature until last night when we both saw you dash through the forest to save our classmate."

Negi blushed crimson as he mumbled something that sounded like an excuse back to the dark-skinned girl. Mana just shook her head and laughed, saying that his determination to save his student reflected well on him as a teacher. The two went back and forth for awhile while Ku Fei chimed in her agreement with Mana's sentiment.

Asuna could only shake her head at the conversation. It seemed that his father's fame kept appearing in unexpected places. Sure, Negi had told her that his dad was famous, but by the way both Eva and Mana spoke it seemed like the guy was a legend.

The kid bowed his head as he replied. "Regardless, I would like to thank you for keeping my secret, Tatsumiya-san. The same to you as well, Ku Fei-san. I promise to extend the same courtesy you have shown me."

Afterward, no one said very much as Negi turned to study the bound man. Asuna had asked Eva if she would be willing to help, but the vampire had only laughed at her and said that such a mediocre activity was beneath her dignity as a vampire.

Grumbling to herself, Asuna ruminated on the differences between mages as Negi puzzled over how to wake Natsu up. Some were perverts while others were stubborn psychopaths. The only sane one of the bunch seemed to be Takamichi, and thank all that was holy that he wasn't like the rest of them. With her current bout of luck it would not have been too far fetched for him to be weirder than the Mad Hatter from _Alice in Wonderland_.

* * *

Once Negi had a good idea of how to wake the sleeping man without harming him, the young boy handed the magic cartridge back to Mana. He then summoned his magic and placed his hand on the sleeping man's head.

The spells within Mana's bullets were quite potent and she had hit the man with quite a few of them. Additionally, whatever Mana and Ku Fei had done to his pressure points was also doing a good job of keeping him asleep and would need to be factored into the spell.

The young mage took a deep breath and reached into the depths of his magic. He shaped and molded it into a powerful spell of wakefulness, tuning it to the energy signature of Mana's bullets. Negi felt Evangeline's eyes on him as he worked, most likely evaluating his skill to deal with this challenge.

He firmed his shoulders. With her eyes on him, Negi would demonstrate just how far he had come.

Negi spoke in a voice that rose as he began to cast his magic. " _Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister: Excita!_ "

With an exclamation at the end, he released the pent up energy and let it flow into the sleeping man before him. The man's eyes began to gently flutter.

A screeching, booming noise split apart through the afternoon air the moment his eyes fully opened.

" _Te reinga! He aha te tika tupu? Homai ki ahau toku kakahu kua!_ " The man on the stake was squawking like a blue jay with its tail feathers on fire. " _Hoki puku! Toku ringa. He aha I meatia e koe ki toku ringa? Te mamae te! Kia ahau ki raro, koutou whakatara._ _Kah!_ "

Negi covered his ears and fell onto his backside while the girls around him had similar reactions. The man had a pair of lungs that could rival a dragon. How could anyone possibly scream that loud without using magic?

The man probably would have continued yelling if Asuna hadn't walked up to him and slapped him on the head with her pactio generated fan. " _Shaddup!_ "

An expression similar to one on a person feeling their skin brushed with nettles crossed his face and Negi winced in empathy. The sting caused by Asuna's fan was not just physical. It could also interfere with a user's magic for a short time and the feeling it caused was anything but pleasant.

After a short moment of stunned silence the pink-haired man narrowed his eyes and bit out a single word directed at Asuna. Asuna returned the look with interest, waving her fan under the man's nose as she did.

As Negi tried to figure out what he should do, he could feel Eva's gaze burning into his back. More specifically, as he turned his head to look, the ancient vampire seemed to be staring at his neck.

Negi shifted nervously while he drew up the collar of his shirt. It seemed that he had somehow messed up in her eyes. He would need to redeem himself before she jumped him and bit into his neck in front of the others.

As Konoka clung to Setsuna's left arm and hummed happily, seemingly ignorant of everything that was going on, Negi stood up and cast his second spell. " _Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister: Omnia Verba Loqui!_ "

Negi dry washed his hands nervously for a moment as he stepped closer and began to unbind the man's hands

"Hello," he said as he worked the knots carefully. "My name is Negi Springfield, a Magister Magi in-training, and these girls are my students. The ones who found you last night were Tatsumiya Mana-san – she's the tall one with dark skin and guns – and Ku Fei-san – who is the short one with blonde hair."

Negi zapped the bindings holding the man's wrists with a quick spell while continuing his introduction. The knots were proving too tough for his small hands to handle.

"Setsuna-san and Konoka-san are the two dark-haired girls behind me. Beside them are Chachamaru-san – the tall girl with green hair – and Evangeline-San who is, um, uh…" Negi paused as he thought how he could describe the vampire without incurring her wrath. "She's a powerful mage, and much older than she looks. So please be very respectful and do your best not to anger her."

Negi's ever present smile faded as soon as the words left his mouth. The air around him had grown chilled and felt of Eva's magic.

Shoot. He really had somehow managed to annoy her after all.

Hoping that she would eventually stop being angry at him, but having no idea how to fix it, Negi continued to speak.

"Last but not least, the orange-haired girl next to me with bells in her hair is Asuna-san." Negi bowed his head towards the man who was now slowly rubbing his joints with both hands as he sat cross legged on the ground. "I apologize if you were hurt when my students tied you up or when Asuna-san hit you with her fan. They are good students, they really are, but they can all be very excitable at times and Asuna-san is often violent. Please forgive their enthusiasm."

Asuna squawked a denial and made as if to swing her fan at him, but a coughed grunt from the formerly tied up man quickly quieted her down. Negi's partner raised her fan as she refocused her attention on the pink-haired man, clearly preparing herself to spring into action if the situation called for it.

Negi pointed towards the man and asked what everyone present wanted to know. "Now, who are you?"

It didn't take long for him to speak. The man placed one of his hands on his fur clad hip and pointed the other one at his chest, digging his thumb into his chiseled chest as his loud voice rang out.

"My name's Natsu Dragneel and I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail, Fiore's toughest guild," the man declared with a grunt. A proud grunt, if Negi guessed correctly. Then the man's eyes flashed with a spark of magic. "But there's something more important than that. I was separated from my guild mates during a fight and haven't been able to find them. If you've seen any of them then tell me pronto. Or you'll get my fist to your face faster than than you can blink."

Then, without so much as a moment of hesitation, Natsu walked over to Mana placed his face close to hers.

"You!" He said, flushing red as he spoke. "What did my balls do to deserve that kind of punishment huh? That was an accident!"

The young man's hand fell to his groin, rubbing it in phantom pain. His actions drew a flush out of most of the girls watching. Eva's mouth twitched from some sort of emotion that Negi couldn't identify. "And did you really need to shoot me with those sleepy things so much? My head feels like I went on a drinking binge with a pal of mine and tried to match her barrel for barrel."

Natsu then shoved his entire left hand at Ku Fei. "And you! My arm – my entire frickin arm – was bleeding from that damn animal whose fur is hanging on me! Next time, don't bash it like a damn volleyball and hang me up with it. It feels like it's gonna fall off any second now. _Gah!_ "

While Ku Fei merely pointed at herself in confusion while Konoka gasped in shock. Her gasp drew Natsu's attention away from the blonde-haired girl and over to Konoka and Setsuna.

"Ah," he murmured softly. He scratched his left cheek with one finger as the red in his face deepened. "By the way, I'm sorry for being naked when I saved your asses from those demon guys. One of my friends likes doing that sorta thing, but I don't. So, well, sorry 'bout that. Again."

Negi studied his students' reactions. Mana's face could have belonged to that of a poker player while Ku Fei still wore a look of confusion on her face from when Natsu had yelled at her. Meanwhile, Setsuna was blushing again while Asuna seemed to be muttering and gripping her fan tightly. Beside them both, Konoka had one hand covering her mouth as she looked at Natsu with pitying eyes.

Other than Asuna's slowly building temper, which frightened Negi enough that he decided to move away from her, things seemed to be fairly good. Unfortunately they were not, and unfortunately his move away from Asuna had carried him closer to one person who was anything _but_ okay.

"Wahahaha! You mean to say that you met most of these girls, and fought against two of them, all while completely buck-ass naked?"

Eva's voice boomed in Negi's ears, forcing the young boy to once again cover them with his hands. Meanwhile, the undead woman's cheerful smile grew wider at Natsu's shamed nod. The older boy seemed to sniff her, widening his eyes as he did.

"That is – that is just too good to be true! Oh Merciful God in Heaven, strike me down now. For mine ears have been gifted with a perverse knowledge that even you would find enjoyable!" Everyone but Natsu looked up to the sky. Unfortunately, it was a clear day without a cloud in the sky and no bolt of lightning came shooting down to smite the disrespectful vampire.

Eva then collapsed to the ground where she proceeded to roll around in the dirt. "Chachamaru, please, please tell me that you recorded all of that, and that you got everyone's faces too. This is just too priceless to let go. This is stupidity on the level of the Thousand Master himself! _Oh, God, yes_!"

She got up and, in a move that no one saw coming, hugged a frightened Asuna as literal tear of joy streamed out of her eyes. "Oh, thank you for grabbing Negi and taking us here you poor, stupid girl. Thank you! This is wonderful, just wonderful."

Negi stared in consternation at his vampiric student for a little while longer. Sometimes she was cute and normal. Other times, she scared him to death. But right now she just confused him and he didn't know what to do with her. So he tried the only thing he could think of, which was to try to bring the attention of the conversation back to Natsu while Negi did his best to ignore the now breathless undead mage as she dragged Asuna to the ground and continued to roll in joy.

"So Natsu, where are Fairy Tail and Fiore located?" Negi asked. "I've never heard of either. Are they cities? Or are they a fraternal group of some sort?"

Negi was completely unprepared for what happened next. After he finished speaking, the older boy's head had snapped around to look at the boy teacher so fast that the man gave out a cry of pain.

Negi blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"

With a fierce growl and a wild look in his eyes, Natsu grabbed Negi by both of his shoulders.

"What do you mean you've never heard of Fairy Tail or Fiore? Aren't we in Fiore right now?"

The little mage in Natsu's hands rubbed the bridge of his nose nervously before answering. "I'm sorry Natsu-san, but you're not. We are currently located in Kyoto, a city in Japan."

Natsu just stared at the little kid. It didn't seem like Negi's words had managed to reach him. "Um, you know, it's in Asia which is in the Old World."

* * *

Natsu blinked slowly as he tried to process what was going on. Thoughts swirled around his head as he desperately tried to assimilate information. Not Fiore, but the Old World. Some places called Kyoto and Japan. He had never heard of any of them, and as his thoughts began to race Natsu felt a familiar sinking feeling begin to grow in his chest.

"Yo, Negi kid, one more question," Natsu murmured. "What year is it right now?"

The kid's smile, which had faltered when Natsu had grabbed him by his shoulders, returned at Natsu's question. "Why, it's currently the year 2003 A.D."

2003 A.D. A completely different year, with a calendar marker he had never encountered. _Oh, shit no._

It had happened again. It had seriously, fucking happened to him again. _Again!_

Natsu released the kid as soon as the words left the boy's mouth. He sat down with a horrified look on his face and felt the hollow, empty feeling within his stomach begin to grow. Natsu was no genius but even he could see what had happened.

He was no longer in Fiore. No, he was once again in a world that was not his own, only this time he was all alone with no way to get back. It took a lot to make him lose it, but as he contemplated the horror of his current situation, Natsu just couldn't hold in his feelings.

He let lose his frustrations in a glorious eruption of fire which poured out of every pore of his body.

"Ahhh! _Dammit Warrod, Zeref! Damn both of your ancient assess straight to hell!_ "

As flames blasted from his body and into the sky above everyone around him dove for cover. The only exception was the tiny mage who smelled different from everyone else. That one continued to laugh, eventually passing out from lack of oxygen as the others around them hit Natsu with everything they had, forcing Natsu back into the now welcome embrace of unconsciousness.

 **END**

 **A/N:** With the end of this chapter we see the conclusion of the Kyoto arc in Negima, as well as Natsu's acquaintance with Negi and co in a more… normal manner. This was a major transition chapter, which meant summarizing events in Negima that happened off-screen for those of you who haven't read Negima or who haven't read that part in awhile.

Hopefully I was able to do it in a way that did not bore you to death. While an improvement over the old chapter this was not my favorite one to write or edit. It felt like it dragged at times with all of the information I was shoving into it.

For those of you who are curious (and I've gotten a few PMs on this), Negi and Natsu are the two main characters of this story. Erza and Wendy, Eva and Asuna, as well as all of the others seen so far (and more to be introduced later) will help to carry the plot at times, but Negi and Natsu will be the main workhorses.

Both men will also have a harem (and before you ask, Lucy will not be in _either_ harem. Nor will she get together with Gray. I have plans for her… oh yes do I have plans) because it wouldn't be a Negima crossover without them, and everyone who will be involved will be of mature age by the time it happens (because underage fanfiction romance can stick to the HP and Naruto fandoms and stay far, far away from any of my stories). All I can say at this time is _t_ _hank_ _goodness_ for timeskips and time dilation devices!

My question for this chapter is what do you all think about my characterizations thus far? Do they feel right? Or do they feel OOC? I'm trying to keep them as close to canon as possible here in the beginning before the changes start piling up later on. I'm a little worried that I tried to hard to force it and changed my natural style in the process.

On to the comments section!

 _Ku Fei:_ Negima's lovable, female version of Rock Lee. She won't be a major part of the story but I have plans to have her play a bigger role than she did in Negima canon. She works as a nice counter viewpoint to the more 'intellectual' characters like Negi and Chisame, without the pure chaos that is Natsu.

 _Mana:_ What's to say? She's a badass. And one of the few people in Negi's class capable of utterly owning Natsu at this point in the story if she were to get serious (for those who doubt, look up the end of Negima chapters. She could give end of canon FT Natsu a good fight). She follows Theodore Roosevelt's motto of "Speak softly and carry a big stick," something which I find to be refreshing in the shonen world of yelling attacks and constant power leveling.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _The Spartan Effect_ by Gatekeeper333. It is a Halo/Mass Effect crossover and is a fic of epic proportions. It stars a post Halo 3 Master Chief and Cortana who are sent to the world of Mass Effect midway through the events of ME2. It is, in my opinion, part of the Gold Standard of how to write a piece of fanfiction. It has romance, incredible character growth, humor, adventure, and everything else that a good story needs (like good grammar and punctuation). I've never seen any other fic come close to juggling so many different characters so well. As of 11/09/2018, the author is on the final mission of ME2 and has been working behind the scenes on their ME3 sequel as well.

Until next time,

Elsil


	5. Welcome to Mahora

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **5**

 **Welcome to Mahora**

"Good afternoon passengers. This is your five minute announcement that the train will be arriving shortly at our next destination, Mahora City Train Station. Please make sure that your bags are properly stowed away, and please vacate the aisle as we pull in so as to ensure a safe and orderly disembarkation. We would like to thank you for traveling with us and hope that you have had a pleasant ride."

As he listened to the woman's sugary, saccharine voice come over some kind of hidden audio system, Natsu responded in the only way possible. He gave a gurgle and groan, his utter hatred of her statement overflowing in his currently limited vocals. The dragon-slayer's usual nausea from traveling on a vehicle had set in with a vengeance the moment the demonic vehicle had left Kyoto.

Another gurgle left his lips as the train's choppy movement began to slow. If Natsu had known that going back with Negi and his friends would involve train travel then he would have elected to walk to Mahora on foot. It didn't matter that he was wearing a red t-shirt and tan shorts with sandals that looked like they may have come out of Loki's old closet. He would have done it out of principle if he he had been given the choice.

After his initial outburst upon realizing that he was once again in a reality other than his own, and after subsequently being subdued by those around him, Natsu had calmed enough to rationally deal with the situation. For the second time in his life Natsu had found himself trapped in another reality. For the second time he was separated from his guild mates in a strange new world.

It was something he had done before, and he should have felt calmer about it. But this time there were two things which made all the difference.

The first was that he had no one by his side this time. Neither Happy nor Lucy, nor even that idiot Gray, had come to the same place Natsu had appeared. He had looked for them after had calmed down, but the dragon-slayer had found no clues as to where they might have appeared. There had been no sighting or scent trail for the dragon-slayer to follow.

To make matters worse, this time there was no Mystogan around to tell Natsu what needed to be done. Not even a hidden spell or message from that old coot Warrod. This time there was only a young boy, no older than Romeo's age, and a bunch of young girls who seemed to be the kid's students. None of them filled Natsu with much confidence either. Except for the one named Mana, but the way she stared at him reminded him a little too much of Erza at times.

Natsu wasn't scared of her, but the events of the forest had given the young man a healthy respect for her skills. Someday he would need to fight her properly, but that was currently low on his list of priorities. Something which would probably shock Elfman and the others at the guild if they were to hear about it.

Yet the thing was that, without any of his guild mates at his side, the kids were the only ones he could depend upon other than himself. They knew this world and had both skills and knowledge Natsu did not. And after the initially explosive meeting between their group and Natsu, the dragon-slayer knew that he had ground to make up with them.

It had taken some persuasion in the beginning but after talking with Negi and the others Natsu was able to get the magical bindings they had used to restrain him taken off of his body. He had not really apologized for his actions, but he had also avoided rubbing their faces in the fact that his initial explosion had caught most of them completely by surprise. Their singed hair and soot covered faces as they scrambled for cover would have amused him if he had been in a better mood. As far as Natsu was concerned it made him even with everyone except for Mana, who had been the only one to react in a competent manner.

The girl's bullets had stopped his initial burst and, much to Natsu's pain and utter annoyance, proved just as effective at knocking him out for a second time as they had in the forest. Three point-blank rounds to his forehead had left him feeling woozy, and when he woke back up he could swear that there was an indentation on the back of his head shaped like the butt of her gun.

After Natsu had woken up once again Negi and the others had eventually told him what little they knew. It basically boiled down to three things.

First, the place Natsu now located was on a planet called Earth in a country called Japan. Second, that Negi and his companions had been in the middle of a pleasure trip gone wrong and that Natsu had barged into the middle of their battle against a group of unknown enemies.

That part was the most normal aspect of the entire situation. As well as the part which bothered Natsu the least. Having unknown enemies attack you while you were doing something totally unrelated to them was a usual happenstance for the dragon-slayer.

The third and final bit of information they were able to give him nearly shattered one of his nascent hopes. No one in the group had ever heard of Natsu's world. Nor did they have any idea how the dragon slayer might go about returning to it.

That last part had been particularly bitter to learn, and in truth Natsu still had not fully accepted it. Being told that there was no known way for him to do what he wanted was fine. As a member of Fairy Tail, making the impossible possible was an occupational requirement. Someone telling them no was just a normal part of any job. It only meant that they needed to push harder to complete the objective.

It was just that, for the first time in his life, Natsu had no idea how he might go about shoving his usual rejection of society down the world's collective throat. There was no enemy in front of him in need of a good clobbering. No magic council to flip off or yell at, and no reality bending magic for him to focus on obtaining.

All of his brainy friends were missing and Natsu well and truly had no idea as to how he should go about finding them. He was many things – a skilled tracker, an expert martial artist, and a powerful mage – but an expert on space-time magic he was not. Nor did he plan on ever becoming skilled in that area like Mystogan had been as it did not suit Natsu's explosive talents.

So it was in the desperate hope of finding any kind of a path that Natsu had decided to accompany Negi and the others back to their home. The kid had offered to help the dragon-slayer out, and until a better option presented itself the boy represented Natsu's single best chance at finding a way home.

Yet as the train neared its destination Natsu thought that he may have made a mistake in deciding to go with them. A horrible mistake. With his hands on his belly and shivers going down his spine, Natsu wondered if it was possible that Warrod's spell had transferred him to some kind of personal hell. A hell complete with a devilish tour guide who went by the name of Haruna Saotome.

"And this, Mr. Pinky, is my favorite manga," Haruna told Natsu with glee. The black haired, bespectacled girl flipped through the book's pages as she sat next to him, taking care to hold each one close to his face before each turn of the page. Just as she had been doing for nearly the entire ride.

The girl looked like a harmless geek but it was just an act. A sham specifically designed to lower one's guard and lure in the unwary. For underneath her innocent disguise lay the heart of a sadistic, seasoned veteran of torture. And she was currently plying her trade on Natsu's defenseless self with a savage glee.

"You can see how the artist drew the body proportions of each character with extreme care. The muscle lines and skin shading are superb, displaying a detailed yet incredibly minimalist style. I mean, just look at his abs! They just pop right off of the page. Don't they look _gorgeous_? Mm, tasty too right?"

Haruna shifted in the seat next to Natsu as two other girls, Yue and Nodoka, looked on from the seats across from them in silence. Natsu had begged them to intervene with his eyes shortly after the torture had begun, but other than an initial offer of juice from blue haired Yue neither girl had lifted so much as a finger in his defense. Instead, both girls kept casually looking away whenever their gaze met his own, determinedly keeping themselves out of the conversation.

Natsu did not know them very well but he was certain of one thing. For abandoning him to hours of torment at the hands of their fiendish friend, neither of the two girls rated very high on his list of great human beings.

"Okay now, look at this chapter here and at this scene in particular. The two main characters share a passionate kiss as they hold one another tenderly in their arms. The detail is incredible. Just incredible! If you look into their eyes you can feel the emotion, the _passion_ , that both men are experiencing. Gah! You don't get to see this kind of steamy, forbidden love between two people in just _any_ manga. No, this is a limited edition Sahoto Ashisu original, and you should count yourself lucky to see it. I have an in with her teacher you see, the great Yuki Aito, and thanks to him I was able to get it before anyone else. Ha ha ha!"

Staring at the page with eyes blurred from pain, Natsu could only manage a single pained moan in the hopes of finally conveying his complete and utter disinterest in the subject. He did not care about some stupid doodles or whoever it was that drew them. He just wanted her to shut up and leave him alone.

His attempt at communication was an utter failure. "Right? I knew that you would agree, Mr Pinky. A manga of this high level crosses all boundaries and touches something deep inside of you. The forbidden love between a teacher and his student is incredible. Someday I too will be capable of this level and higher. As I grow in fame my fans will spread across the globe and usher in a new era for all humankind! Mwa ha ha ha! _Fear me, o' powerless masses! Adore your future queen._ "

As the girl continued her mad rant Natsu closed his eyes and pressed his face harder against the cool, hard surface of the train's glass window. Unfortunately, it failed to comfort him like Lucy's soft lap. Nor did it knock him into blissful sleep like Erza's mailed fist.

What made the experience worse was that Natsu could understand every single word of the never-ending flow coming from Haruna's mouth. Thanks to a small charm tied around his right wrist, Natsu was able to understand any language spoken.

It had seemed like a good idea to wear it at the time. But at this moment Natsu wanted nothing more than to rip it off of his arm, light it on fire, and laugh as he watched it burn.

He made a weak motion with his left arm and tried to reach it. Another wave of nausea hit just as he managed to get his fingers on the charm. His fingers slid off of it as the nausea weakened their grasp, failing him in his hour of need.

Being unable to fight back was horrible. The dragon-slayer had not even done enough damage to the girl's classmates or the structures in this world deserve this sort of punishment. He had only been able to burn down a couple meters of forest and singe part of the house before Mana and the others had taken him down. That was damn light by Fairy Tail standards.

Then Natsu remembered something from when they had all boarded the train.

Thinking back to just before he had stepped onto the train, it had been Mana who had had tied the charm onto his arm. She had even done it while wearing a smile as she directed him to his seat.

This was all her fault!

Now Natsu knew why she had been smiling. Since the moment he had told them that he didn't do well with vehicles, the dark-skinned girl must have known that this was going to happen to him and had planned on how to make it worse. Damn her!

This train ride was easily in the top 10 of the worst trips Natsu had ever taken. Haruna had been asking him all sorts of weird things since the train ride began. Questions about the color of his hair and how far down it went, why he had such a muscled physique with so many small scars, and if he could give her an option on those books she kept shoving into his face. Neither his silent screaming, his nauseated face, nor his inability to coherently respond to her questions seemed to bother the girl as she just kept dialing up the levels of torture on the helpless dragon-slayer.

At one point during the journey Natsu was certain that the little she-devil beside him had wrapped some sort of yellow tape with weird markings around his waist and other parts of his body, all while she had called out numbers to a classmate elsewhere in the carriage. He couldn't be certain because he had been going in and out of consciousness at that point. Dreams of an invisible dragon and a giant, white-haired warrior flying in and out of a chaotic battle had also passed through his head at that time, and Natsu was sure as hell that that had been either a dream or a hallucination. Because there was no way something that fun could have happened while he was trapped next to the she-witch known as Haruna Saotome of Class 3-A.

"Now, Natsu, I know that you're sensei's cousin – should I refer to him as Negi around you? Eh, no, I'll just keep calling him sensei. You'll get used to it from the other girls. Anyway, back on point I was really hoping to get your opinion on this one doujinshi that I'm working on. It's a super secret project, the first Haruna special that I might send in for publication."

Haruna shuffled her hands around in some sort of handbag before shoving another pile of paper into his face. The pages swam in and out of his vision as Natsu fought against a rising tide of bile within his throat.

"It's my greatest and most ambitious effort to date. I haven't even shown this to Yue or Nodoka yet and I usually show them everything. But you know Natsu, I really feel like you and I have bonded on this trip. It just feels so good to find an older boy like you who can understand the amazing love between two men." The girl gave a joyous giggle which caused a shiver to run down Natsu's spine. "And with your insider knowledge of the two subjects I don't think that there is anyone more qualified to critique it. So, please, tell me what you think of it. Don't you hold anything back either."

Natsu blinked his eyes as he tried to make out the details on the paper shoved into his face. Resistance against her had been useless so far. So maybe, just maybe, if he could actually make a comment on something Haruna shoved into his face, then it was possible that the girl would leave him alone.

The dragon-slayer bent every ounce of his mind and will towards the goal. He pushed his body to the limits as he stared at the sheaf of loose-leaf paper in front of his eyes. Natsu had never before managed to overcome this sickness, but there was always a first.

Yet when the pictures began to come into focus, Natsu almost wished they had just stayed as blurry dots. The rising tide of bile started forming a tsunami in the pit of his stomach.

"See, Natsu? Look at its glory. It's a what-if story involving sensei and our class' old teacher, Takahata – you know him too, right? Of course you do, since you're sensei's cousin. I came up with the idea one night after listening to Asuna and Iinchou – she's the foreign looking girl with blonde hair that you'll probably see drooling over sensei, by the way – have another one of their fights over them. You see, Asuna likes Takahata and Iinchou likes sensei, and the two girls are constantly arguing over which guy is hotter. Although between you and me, Natsu, I like bad boys around your age more."

Natsu felt a surge of horror rush through him as the girl batted her eyes at him and blew him a kiss before laughing. "But, more importantly to me, rumor has it that sensei and Takahata have known each other for years! Takahata must be like some sort of mentor or older brother figure for sensei. Or maybe even a father figure! All of which makes a relationship between them the ultimate in taboo love. Just _thinking_ about it sets my heart afire with their flames of passion."

Haruna took the sheaf of papers away as she flipped through a few pages. Natsu was unable to really see any of them in detail until she stopped and pointed to one page in particular.

"I'd really like to get your opinion on this scene in particular. I feel like I went out on a limb with it. Do you think that it's plausible in ten years? Takahata is already all grown up, but I really had to scratch my brain hard when trying to think of what sensei might look like in ten years. Because as great as a forbidden love between them might be today I really don't think that Takahata would go for the ten year old sensei. He doesn't strike me as the lolita or shota type, no matter what Asuna says."

Haruna paused as she spoke, taking the first breath since she had taken out her strange book of pictures. Natsu saw her flick her eyes towards several of her classmates as she breathed deeply. Her gaze lingered longest on a tall, busty blonde who was seated next to Asuna. "That's the style of... other individuals, if you get my drift. But hey, I'm not one to judge whose love is wrong and whose love is right. Isn't that right, Nodoka? Yue? All I can do for now is hope, dream, and scheme to make it all come true. But one day I, Haruna, shall rule the world and force all of humanity to serve me as we embark on a new chapter of love and equality. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!"

Across from him Natsu saw the girl named Nodoka blush redder than the sun as Haruna laughed. Yue buried her head into a book as she too blushed. Natsu felt no empathy for the two of them as he saw their reactions. Unlike him the two girls must have known what they were getting into when they had sat down on the train.

Then a particularly hard jolt then ran through the compartment as the train pulled into the Mahora station. The impact crashed Natsu's head against the train's metal bulkhead and fate finally decided to smile on him. Natsu's body decided to give out on him and the sweet relief of darkness stole him away.

* * *

Negi stood up as the train pulled into the station. With his class roster book in hand, he called out to the boisterous class of girls who filled the compartment around him. Their eager faces brought a smile to his features. "Okay everyone, I hope that you all had a wonderful time in Kyoto. I'm glad to say that we all made it back without any injuries. Please exit the car safely and remember that school begins on Monday. All assignments, including your written report on the trip, must be finished before the start of class. Thank you, and have a nice remainder of the day."

As if his words were a magic spell, everyone around him leaped into motion. The girls disembarked in a flurry of activity that left him feeling dazed. They twisted and pulled each others hair and clothes as they competed to see who could reach their dorm the quickest. The girls laughed and yelled at one another as they moved past him, with some trying to grab a hold of their young teacher as though he were a piece of luggage that they had almost forgotten.

It was something Negi had been expecting.

The young boy moved through their attempts with a polished ease, avoiding their prying hands as he spoke with each in turn. Fuuma and Fuuka, the small twins, were easily distracted with sweets he pressed into their hands. Red haired Misa and her two friends were appeased by a promise from him to let them open the next class with a cheer. Others were content with a wave and a smile.

Then there were the troublesome ones.

Evangeline, despite having saved his life and touring all of Kyoto with him as payment, gave him a stare that made the boy feel like he was a bug she was thinking of squashing. Chisame gave him a look which clearly said that he was incompetent in her eyes. Then poor Ayaka had to be dragged off the train kicking and screaming by an irate Asuna as the blonde proclaimed her eternal love for him. She was such a nice student to think that way about him. It almost reminded Negi of his adoptive sister Akane.

He could only stare at the pair of squabbling friends while rubbing the back of his head at their antics. The two of them constantly confused him with their never ending fights over the same silly subjects but he could tell that the two truly cared for one another. Someday, if he were lucky, he might learn just what it was they kept fighting about.

Lost in his own thoughts as he watched the two of them go off, Negi had failed to notice the approach of another dangerous member of his class.

" _Seeensssseeeeeeiii-_ _kuuuuun_ _!_ " Kazumi Asakura called out to him, her brilliant red hair shaking as she shoved some sort of metallic device into his face. "Is there any way I could get an exclusive interview regarding the events at the hotel before we leave the train? Specifically, could you please explain the kissing craze that broke out on one of the nights we were there? I have eyewitnesses who claim that you were able to kiss more than half-a-dozen of your students in a single night."

The young boy continued to rub back of his neck as he laughed and did his best to dodge the girl's questions. "Sorry Asakura-san, but there is nothing to say. Nothing like that actually happened."

He then tried to make his escape but the reporter-in-training refused to let him get away so easily. Her slim arms shot out to each side, boxing him in place as she pinned him with a determined stare. A wry grin twisted her lips and put a twinkle in her eyes as she replied.

"Riiiight. Sure it didn't happen, Negi-sensei. I'll believe that flimsy excuse the day pigs fly. Is that the company line someone's got you spouting to cover things up? Did the powers that be get to you and break your angelic will to their thorny will? Are they now stopping you from realizing your forbidden love with your own students and becoming the world's youngest harem king?"

"Um, uh, I'm not really sure what you mean by that Asakura-san," Negi said as he tried to push his way around her. He didn't want to use magic on her, but for an untrained civilian she was making it rather difficult to escape.

"I've heard that line before. Next thing I know you'll be asking for a lawyer and pleading your innocence before a jury of your peers. And in case that ever happens, just know that I'd be happy to work on your media perspective." Asakura leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Give me the juicy details before you tell anyone else and I promise that I'll be _all_ yours, my adorable _sensei-_ _kun_."

A bead of sweat formed at the base of Negi's neck at her words and tone of voice. He knew that she and Chamo had spent some time together during the school trip, and while this sounded just like the type of nonsense the ermine was always spouting Asakura seemed to be taking it one step further than usual. Negi didn't even know what a harem king was but judging from the context it was nothing that he wanted.

He tried to stutter out a response to that effect – he wanted none of the usual misunderstandings which followed Chamo's meddling – but Asakura cut his words off with a swift poke to his forehead. "Shh. you don't need to answer me now, sensei. I was just messing with you. Just remember that I still need to get a real pactio card from you one of these days. A mutual acquaintance of ours told me all about them, and if you really want my help – or my silence – in the future, then that will be my price. Am I understood?"

The boy blushed a deep, deep red as he merely nodded his head in reply. Finding it satisfactory, the girl released him and backed away. She gave another laugh as she moved towards the train's exit.

"See you around then, Negi-sensei."

As Negi watched Asakura walk away, her hips moving in a saucy saunter, his mind went blank for a moment. Then he took a black pen from out of his suit's inner pocket and opened class 3-A's roster book in order to write a new entry in the margins.

 _Girls are confusing. And Chamo only makes it worse._

He wrote it in bold across the top of the class page. Then underlined it for good measure.

That important notation added, the young boy closed the book and started looking for Natsu. Asakura had been the last girl left on the train, and he had not seen the pink-haired man leave. The two of them needed to see the elderly principal of Mahora Academy before they got Natsu settled in Mahora. Negi didn't know of a way for the older boy to return home, but it was possible that Konoka's grandfather knew of one.

As Negi thought to himself about the upcoming meeting and searched for Natsu throughout the compartment he noticed an odd smell. It was acrid and biting, and for some reason it made him feel nauseous. He paused as he tried to place it.

When he finally did place the smell Negi covered his nose with one hand. Someone had definitely thrown up on the ride back from Kyoto and they had done it right at the end of the trip too.

* * *

"Play the video again Chachamaru. I wish to see Boya's expression once more."

With a soft noise of whirring gears the robotic girl standing beside Eva moved to comply. Her green hair and school-girl outfit made for a stark contrast with the Greek themed décor of the vampire's lair.

"As you wish, my Master," the robot stated with calm precision. "But you have already seen it twenty-four times. I would recommend archiving the video for a later date and concentrating on your bath before the bubbles disappear."

Eva splashed the robot with water. When she gave an order, it was to be followed to the letter with no backtalk.

"Once more," Evangeline commanded imperiously as the water dripped down Chachamaru's face, "then you may go. Now play the video of the pink idiot once again. Only start it from the moment he sets Boya's hair on fire this time."

Chachamaru turned her head back to the wall. Beams of light shone from her eyes and a picture of the previous day's events came to life on the floor by Evangeline's tub.

Evangeline sighed, groaning in ecstasy as she dipped lower into the steaming hot bath. Watching the video again for the twenty-fifth time still caused a shiver of delight to run up Evangeline's spine. Few things in the world felt better after releasing her full power than a nice, hot, bubbly bath drawn by Chachamaru with a new video for entertainment.

Thinking back on the events of the past few days as the video played was rather pleasant for the small vampire. Eva had been able to truly stretch her wings for the first time in a decade. Powering up during the festival had been fun, but this time she had been able to actually _use_ her power.

Dispatching a demon older than herself, terrifying Boya and his group of little ministra, all while seeing the greatest display of idiocy since Boya's father the Thousand Master himself... well, that was indeed cause for amusement and quiet celebration.

She giggled at the thought. Boya's class of girls was mildly entertaining the more she learned of them, but not enough to hold her attention for very long. Too many years spent with girls their age had dulled Eva's interest. Years of listening to little girls squeal over the latest heart throb or gossip about some shocking action committed by a one of their friends had driven her already low opinion of children deeper than the deepest of caves.

It was only with the arrival of the little Springfield, Asuna Kagurazaka, Setsuna Sakurazaki and this new idiot from another world that things had started to improve. The ancient vampire might actually be able to have more enjoyment since Nagi sealed her into the damn academy ten years ago.

As the hologram flickered to an end the tiny woman cupped her hands together beneath the water and slowly brought them above the surface. Bubbles glittered on her palms, refracting light in a glittering cascade of rainbows.

They were beautiful in a fragile sort of way. Just like the young boy whom came to mind as she gazed at them, shining with iridescent beauty as they danced in the palm of her hand.

The vampire blew them apart and smiled.

"Aah... this really is hitting the spot," she hissed to herself as she waved for Chachamaru to leave the room. Still smiling to herself, Eva leaned against the bath's wall and closed her eyes.

The vampire lost track of time while she soaked in a world of heat and bubbles. Dreams ran through her head. Dreams of men and boys with red and pink hair, of screams and fire, and of herself returned to her full and terrible majesty

When she awoke from her impromptu nap sometime later Eva was alone within the room.

Wrapping herself in a soft, blue-white robe placed at the edge of the massive bath, Evangeline slowly made her way out of the bathing area. She appreciated both the towel the absence of any of her servants. Efficient use of time and energy on their part was pleasing to their master.

A great yawn split Eva's face as she walked to her bedroom. It exposed two pairs of needle sharp fangs that glinted in the soft light.

After sipping an exceptional vintage of Syrah from a glass left in an alcove near her room, Evangeline turned the lights off with a quick mental command. Such an excellent day deserved to be topped off with an equally great rest, she thought to herself as she made her way through the dark.

The petite vampire gratefully climbed into her mussed up bed and let a pleasurable sigh escape her lips.

It was only when a warm, muscular arm made its way around her waist that Evangeline knew she was not alone.

* * *

"Ooh, what's that Negi? Can I eat it? I'm starving!"

"No you cannot Natsu. You threw up all over the train compartment only half an hour ago!"

"Aw. But I'm all better now. See?" Natsu said as he gave his toned stomach a hard slap. "Now I just need to get something inside of it to replace what went out."

"No means no, Natsu."

"Bah! My friends Lucy and Happy would support me."

"I don't know who they are, Natsu, but I still seriously doubt that they would do so. No normal person would."

"Exactly! They're better than normal. They're in Fairy Tail! But fine, whatever. There'll be more food wherever we're going, right?"

"I'm sure that there will, Natsu," replied a scraggly bearded man in a white suit. "Our destination's host is quite hospitable."

Natsu shot him a quick look, snorted, and considered the other man quietly.

Takamichi Takahata was a big man. He was around the same size and build as Gildarts and had the same type of scraggly beard too. The two men had a similar twinkle in their eyes although Takamichi's was somewhat magnified by the pair of glasses he wore.

More important to the dragon-slayer, though, was another trait Takamichi shared with Gildarts.

The man was a powerhouse. He concealed it well, but Natsu could feel the enormous amount of magic power hiding within the older man's body. His movements were smooth and controlled and hinted at long decades of training. The way his eyes moved around, analyzing everything, hinted at years of experience with fighting as well.

Every time Natsu looked at the other man the dragon-slayer could feel his fighting instincts welling up within his body. Being off of the train had rejuvenated Natsu's mind and body, and he felt like his usual self.

When Natsu had come to after Negi had removed him from the train, the dragon-slayer had found himself in a strange room. It had reminded him somewhat of the Magic Council's offices, only smaller. The other difference which had ruined the comparison had been the old man lying on a nearby futon with a bag of ice on his forehead.

Apparently it had something to do with the boy's trip to Kyoto, but Natsu had let his mind wander when they resumed talking. He had only just been able to start looking around when Negi had tugged on his sleeve and motioned towards the door. Figuring that there was no reason to stay in a room with a seemingly exhausted old man, Natsu had followed the young boy out of the room and into the hall.

There they had met Takamichi who had introduced himself to Natsu with a smile. Then the man said something which had instantly captured Natsu's attention. Takamichi claimed to have some information about the magic which had brought the dragon slayer to this strange new world.

He had used some big words to describe it, laying out a complicated analysis of what he and others had learned after Negi had alerted him from Kyoto.

All Natsu remembered was the gist of it. That he was not supposed to be in this world and that apparently some kind of weird resonance that was changing the planet's field of magic had been centered in Kyoto at the time and place that he had first arrived. The man had expressed a belief that such a change was unlikely to be a coincidence, and even someone like Natsu who did not pay attention to fancy things like theories had to agree.

But more importantly Takamichi then mentioned that another resonance had just happened in Mahora and Takamichi was on his way to investigate. Excitement had raced through Natsu's body at those words.

Finally, a lead as to how he might find his friends had appeared!

With an emphatic slap to the big man's shoulder Natsu had declared that he and Negi would accompany Takamichi on his mission. The older man had shaken his head in amusement at Natsu's words, given his consent, and then they were off. And with no vehicles, and no Mana or Haruna around to torment him, Natsu was now enjoying himself immensely.

Negi's town was amazing!

People were walking around everywhere in greater volume than even the capital of Fiore. They had all sorts of really cool gadgets in their hands that Natsu had never before seen. Every street brought a new sight to see and kept the dragon-slayer's head on a constant swivel.

To make things even cooler there was a ridiculously huge tree in the town's center. It reminded Natsu of the giant tree on Tenrou Island. It pulsed with a magic that put Natsu at ease for the first time since his arrival in this new world, and Natsu promised himself that he would have to get around to climbing it at some point in the future.

The various new scents and smells that came from the stores they passed kept tempting the dragon-slayer. Natsu could not help but try to go into them, and without Lucy or Erza to around to stop him, or Gray around to distract him, the dragon-slayer was almost able to satisfy his curiosity to his heart's content.

What Takamichi had referred to as a thirty minute trip had already taken them over an hour, with Natsu constantly wandering off and the other two mages having to constantly reel him back onto the street.

However, Natsu didn't really care for how they felt. After begging him not to use magic due to it being illegal in public, the two of them were watching Natsu like a hawk for any signs that he was going to let loose and disobey.

Doing it just to spite them was tempting – so very, very tempting – but Natsu still needed their help to find his friends. He had also given them his word, and his word reflected the honor of Fairy Tail. So unless another way forward were to present itself the dragon-slayer was stuck obeying their silly rule.

As they passed one particularly fragrant area, Natsu's nose twitched in curiosity. "Hey Negi, what's that shop over there do?" He asked, pointing at a small store which had just opened its shutters. "Let's go in it. It smells really good."

The trio of mages stopped and looked where Natsu had pointed. Takamichi shrugged his shoulders and pulled out a cigarette while Negi pinched his nose. Natsu could smell him light it, but paid more attention to the young boy.

The dragon-slayer was taking pleasure in seeing Negi's annoyance. Seeing it gave Natsu an idea of just how far Natsu could push the young boy in the future before he snapped. That was always a good thing to know about a comrade when you might have to trust your life to them. As well as serving as a way to repay some of the annoyance he felt with the kid's two students, Mana and Haruna.

"It makes pastries, Natsu." Negi said tiredly as he and Takamichi kept walking. "And before you ask, the one next door is ice cream, the one after that is a clothing store, and the one beyond that sells shoes."

"Ooh! So you guys have ice cream over here as well? That's awesome! I can't wait to show this place to Lucy and Wendy. Can we go in and try some out?" Natsu thought about it for a moment. "Ya think they have dragonberry flavor? That's my favorite."

Negi sighed again. Oh yes, Natsu was definitely working a nerve right now. "Could you please ask questions later, Natsu? After we get to Evangeline's house?" The boy replied. "We are on an important mission which could be time sensitive."

"So?"

"No means no, Natsu."

"Bah! You guys suck." Natsu huffed as he crossed his arms. "First I can't use magic according to some stupid rule of yours. Now I can't even get a bite to eat. Bah!"

Besides being genuinely interested in the ice cream – dragonberry was the best ice cream flavor in this or any other world which might happen to exist – Natsu was trying to match and catalog all of the various scents. It was why he kept going into stores, so that he could see and touch the things that his nose was smelling. The dragon slayer had to constantly ask the two other mages about the places they encountered and then try to figure which scents went to which objects by using their information and his own general knowledge.

But wait, did Negi just say Evangeline? As in that crazy child who had just sat and laughed as Natsu had been pummeled by Mana and the others. _That_ was where they were going?

 _Yes!_ I _f that_ _wa_ _s where_ _they we_ _re going,_ _then_ _maybe_ _he would_ _get a chance to duke it out with her_ _after finding one of his friends_.

According to what Negi had said back in Kyoto, Evangeline was supposed to be some sort of ancient badass vampire mage in this world. What with Negi being too weak and Takamichi ignoring the challenging looks Natsu kept sending his way as they walked, the childlike vampire was probably Natsu's best bet for a good fight outside of Mana.

But if he were going to be fighting against a badass, then Natsu would really need to get some food in his belly. He had not replaced the food he had thrown up earlier. If he didn't get some food then there was no way he would be at peak fighting ability.

But it seemed that Negi was determined to keep him from eating any of the normal food they kept walking past. That left Natsu with only one other way to get the energy he was after.

"Fine!" Natsu yelled loudly. "Then point me towards the nearest forge or bonfire, 'cause I seriously need to eat something. If I don't get anything in me then I might seriously die. I'm starving!"

Negi and Takamichi stopped in their tracks and simultaneously asked the dragon-slayer the same question. "Natsu, do you mean to say that you can eat fire?"

Natsu nodded his head in reply. "Duh. I already told you two that I'm the dragon-slayer of fire. The title isn't just for show. Don't you guys know what that means?"

Negi shook his head. Then the young boy looked up at Takamichi to see if the older man knew. Takamichi shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as well.

Seeing their looks of confusion ticked Natsu off. "Damn alternate worlds," he muttered. "You guys don't have dragon-slayers here? Bah!"

He was seriously tempted to give them a demonstration on what it meant to be a dragon-slayer, but settled for glaring at them from the corner of his eye. He laced his fingers together and place both hands behind his head in annoyance.

Thankfully it seemed that Takamichi also did not want to delve too deeply into a discussion on magic styles. The big man placed a hand on top of Negi's shoulder just as the kid opened his mouth to say something.

"As interesting as seeing that might be, Natsu," Takamichi said seriously, "I think that we can wait to see you eat fire some other time. Doing that where non-magic users could see you would be illegal. We will just have to take your word on it for the moment."

The tall, bespectacled man pulled another cigarette out of his pocket as he spoke, lighting it with some sort of strange metallic device he pulled out from another pocket.

Natsu's eyes were drawn by the thing's flame and followed it as Takamichi continued to speak.

"So how about we stop for some food right now. If we are going to be meeting Evangeline then it would be best if we were all in a calm and relaxed state of mind. Besides, unless my nose is deceiving me, I think that there is a truly excellent source of food nearby."

Natsu's ears perked up at that bit of information and he let his arms fall to his side. If that nose-blind man could smell the aroma of cooking food well enough to roughly judge its distance, then Natsu could pinpoint the place's exact location and lead everyone to it.

The fact that Natsu did not actually know either the restaurant or the smell of its food was of no importance. Upon his pride as a dragon slayer there was no way that Natsu would let a little details like that get in his way.

He took in a deep breath to scent the air. His brain started to process all of the information that came in. There were at least ten restaurants within a one mile radius of their current position. Of those restaurants three were close enough for a normal human to smell, and only one of them smelled like the food they were cooking was even half-way edible.

That had to be the place. Smiling in victory, Natsu pointed a hand in the direction his nose told him was right. "That place over there, right?"

The big man raised an eyebrow in surprise at Natsu's words. "Natsu, unless you are also a mind reader, I don't think that it's possible for you to know - "

"Nah, not a mind reader," Natsu said with a toothy smile, "But like I said earlier, being a dragon-slayer is more than just a title. I've got a dragon's nose, and it's never been wrong yet."

Natsu began walking in the direction he had picked, lengthening his stride to force the other two to keep up with him or get left behind.

The footsteps of the other two mages soon joined his own, and the three of them made their way quickly through the crowded streets of Mahora. As soon as the place Natsu's nose had detected came into sight, the dragon-slayer heard Takamichi give a sigh.

Natsu shot him a shark toothed grin in reply. "See? See? _Ha!_ I was right, wasn't I?"

"Yes, you were right indeed, Natsu." The big man said as he rolled his eyes. "Your nose is truly not to be underestimated."

"Called it! And hell yeah Takamichi. You should never underestimate a dragon's nose. Especially not this one's!"

"As you say, Natsu. But your humble attitude could certainly use a little more work."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion. He knew that he had heard that word before, but he couldn't remember what it meant since no one had ever called him that.

"What's humble mean?" He asked innocently.

The bespectacled man opened his mouth to respond but closed it as a loud rumble sounded from Natsu's stomach.

"I suppose that's a lesson for another time," Takamichi said with a shake of his head. He took a long puff of his cigarette before he resumed speaking. "Let's get some food in us before we talk any further."

The big man pulled an item from his pocket, made from leather by the smell of it. He then took out some stamped pieces of paper and handed them over to Negi.

"Here Negi, use this to pay for three orders of Baozi and make the order to go. I'll move ahead and take some preliminary readings while the two of you get the food and make your way after me."

Takamichi then turned to leave only to pause before he had gone more than a few steps. "Oh. I almost forgot to mention, but I think that the restaurant's owner and chef will be a surprise to both of you. Please be sure to give them my regards."

"Of course I will Takamichi. We will see you soon."

With Negi's reply registered, the bearded man placed his hands into his pockets and walked back to the main street. His large frame disappeared into the night, leaving Natsu and Negi standing next to the restaurant.

The crackle of coals in a nearby brazier broke the silence.

"Alright. Time for food!" Natsu cried out as he made a beeline for the brazier. The fire was cracking merrily and was a beautiful cherry red over a white hot bottom. Whoever had lit the brazier had used quality coal. The smell of it made Natsu lick his lips in anticipation while Negi squeaked out some kind of warning.

Unfortunately, Natsu's plans for a fiery snack were foiled when the young girl standing next to the brazier called out to them. Grabbing tight to Natsu's shirt, Negi brought the older boy along with him to speak with the girl.

"Ah, bouzu, how nice to see you frequent our establishment-ne." The young black-haired girl said as they got near. She smiled charmingly, her perfumed lips glistening in the evening as a red dress hugged her lithe curves. "I didn't realize you knew tonight was the test run of Chao Bao Zi's new menu ahead of the festival. But as expected of my honored bouzu, you did-ne."

Negi put a hand behind his head and moved it through his hair nervously as he responded to the girl's words. "No, no, it's nothing like that, Chao. Takamichi, Natsu and I were walking nearby when Takamichi smelled your restaurant's cooking. He was the one who said we should come here, not me."

"Aha. Mr. Takahata always did like the food served here. He was one of our most frequent customers back when he was our teacher."

"Really? Then your cooking must be really good! Takamichi only eats at the best places."

Natsu saw the girl's eyes sparkle at Negi's words. Something about the way they sparkled didn't seem quite right to the dragon-slayer and caused him to be on his guard. He wasn't the sharpest person when it came to making conversation, but his instincts were yelling at him to be on his guard around this girl and Natsu always trusted his instincts.

Something Negi had just said had an underlying meaning to the girl that the childlike teacher had not intended. The boy seemed to catch the change in the girl's eyes, too, as his own gaze sharpened. But when the girl's gaze briefly met Natsu's, the dragon-slayer knew that their own reactions had also been noticed.

The girl beckoned them closer, her lips quirked upwards as she did. "Indeed, bouzu. Now, please, come closer so we can converse more easily. Will you be dining here or do you want your orders to go?" Her eyes moved to study Natsu. "And I don't think that I have been properly introduced to your friend either."

She gave a short curtsy. "My name is Chao Lingshen. While you are named Natsu, correct?"

Natsu glanced down at Negi before staring back at the girl and giving her a shrug. "Eh... hey there. The name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. I'm a distant cousin of Negi's." The dragon-slayer tried to end his part of the conversation as quickly as possible. He was not very good at small talk. Unless it involved fighting, eating, or something awesome like ninjas then it did not matter to him.

For a short period of time the three of them stood in silence. Natsu had locked gazes with the young girl. She gave him a rather blunt look over and he returned the favor.

Luckily for Natsu, Negi was there to pick up the slack and seemed to know how to make small talk. "Of course," the boy said cheerily, his sharpened gaze disappearing like mist on a hot summer day. "But I'm afraid that I – I mean, we – can't stay for very long. Natsu is new to Mahora and the three of us are walking around as we introduce him to the city."

The little mage walked up to the counter as Natsu followed behind, gazing longingly at the fire as he moved. The girl had a sharp gaze, but surely she wouldn't notice if one coal went missing.

The other two continued to speak with each other as Natsu planned how he might be able to swipe a coal unnoticed.

"This should be enough to pay for our meals, miss Lingshen." Negi said as he placed the paper notes on top of the counter. "Three order of Baozi, please."

Behind the counter another girl raised her head. She nodded and began placing ingredients into a frying pan. Her hands moved with quick, practiced gestures, and the smell of frying food filled the air.

The girl named Chao, however, waved her teacher's payment away. "I'm afraid not, bouzu. If you are purchasing it to go then that is not nearly enough-ne for three bowls of Chao Bao Zi's special dish."

Her words caught the child teacher by surprise. They caught Natsu by surprise as well. He wanted his food and he wanted it right then, dammit. What more could the girl want of them.

Stepping lightly in her red silk dress as she spoke the girl leaned down so she could whisper into the ear of her much shorter teacher. She seemed to be trying to keep her next words between the kid and herself. Thanks to Natsu's dragon hearing, though, he heard every word she whispered.

"But I would consider doing it for a magical kiss from you."

"A m-m-magic k-k-kiss?" Negi stuttered as his face became panicked. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, miss Lingshen. And besides, it-it really wouldn't be proper. I'm too young, an-and you're my, well, you're my student and -"

The girl scooted closer to her teacher as her eyes shone with amusement. "Ne, ne, don't worry about it sensei. I promise that I'll be gentle."

"No – I mean, that's not really the problem. I mean - "

"Oh? Then is it that I am unattractive to you, bouzu?"

Negi's face flushed a bright red. "N-n-n-o, no, I didn't mean that either!" The kid yelled. "Argh, stop being mean to me!"

"Ha ha! I apologize, but seeing the normally calm and collected bouzu panicking over something as small as giving me a kiss is quite amusing-ne." The mysterious sparkle in the girl's eyes brightened as her quirked lips gave birth to a light laugh. "Besides, I am still waiting for your reply. And before you deny me again, remember that the fate of your meal may rest in the balance-ne."

Off to the side, Natsu scratched his head in confusion as he watched the exchange. The girl was obviously toying with the now stuttering Negi, but Natsu felt like he was missing something. Sure the kid was young, but it wasn't as though there was anything wrong with it. The girl had four or five years on the kid at most, which would probably put her two or three years under Natsu's own age.

Besides, if it got Natsu some grub to go along with his fire, then Natsu was all for it.

He nudged the still stammering wizard with his right hand. Healed from its earlier injuries by the kid, Natsu's hand didn't feel so much as a tinge of pain in it as he used it to apply pressure to the young boy.

"C'mon Negi, just hurry up and kiss her already. S'alright by me. It's not anything all that weird, right?"

The young boy's flush deepened, making its way from his face and down his neck. He continued to stammer as he responded in broken sentences. "N-n-no... I mean, well, Asuna says that I shouldn't do something like that unless I really mean it, and uh, um, Asuna would be really mad at me if I did something like this when she wasn't around, so, uh, I-I really shouldn't do it with Chao, otherwise I might get her pregnant, and uh..."

The kid's voice began to dwindle as he tapped his forefinger against the other in a nervous tic. By the time his voice reached the point where even Natsu couldn't hear it, the kid's words had become completely incoherent.

Kissing someone could get them pregnant? Natsu was not certain how things worked in this world, but that was definitely not how things worked back in Earthland. He had gotten the talk from both Gildarts and Mirajane, and neither one of them had mentioned something like pregnancy happening from a kiss. Mirajane had said that would only happen with what came after kissing and that he would need to use some kind of armor on his body in order to prevent it. Gildarts had just skimmed over it, saying that it involved some sort of fun activity while a boy and girl were naked with each other.

At the kid's side, Natsu saw Chao's devious smile widen as she watched her stricken teacher descend into a babbling mess. The girl lifted her eyes to meet the dragon-slayer's own.

Natsu knew what was coming before she even opened her mouth. She was going to try doing to him what she had just done to her teacher. He cocked his head and studied her as she approached in a measured saunter, curious as to how she would try to mess with him.

Walking a slow circle around the fire mage, Chao lifted a slim finger to her lips as she spoke mischievously. "You know, Natsu, a kiss from you might do nicely as well."

The spark within her eyes nearly glowed as she spoke, lending her delicate features the look of a bird of prey. "Since you're sensei's cousin, I'm sure that you are a wonderful gentleman as well. A strong, experienced man like yourself would probably know –" Chao's voice cut off as Natsu made his move.

The dragon-slayer had seen Negi's passive strategy fail miserably, and his pride as the son of Igneel refused to let him go down as easily as the kid. Natsu was a man of action, and in a situation like this there he had two viable options available to him in his arsenal of tactics.

Option one was to punch Chao in the face, set the surrounding area on fire, and then run away with the food. He had done that more than once back in Fiore whenever an older woman or man had tried to push things too far with either him or Lucy. It was fun, flashy, and one hundred percent effective in all instances he had employed it.

However, since it was likely that Natsu would be seeing her again in the near future, that option was probably not the right one to follow. Which was too bad since it was one of his personal favorites.

With no other choice available, Natsu chose to follow the advice Gildarts had given to him many years ago that he had never found an opportunity to put into practice.

In one smooth motion the dragon-slayer placed both hands on Chao's waist, pulled her into his body and met her lips with his own.

After a moment of shock and resistance, Natsu felt the girl's smaller body begin to melt into his own. Chao's arms snaked around his neck with surprising force, dragging him closer as she deepened the kiss between them.

Rational thought began to flee from Natsu's mind as the kiss went on. The kiss was hot and fiery, like the warmth of a freshly kindled flame. It felt nothing like the kisses Lisanna had given him when the two Fairies had been young. Those had been sweet and innocent, and had ended in a flash as they both stared at each other, trying to figure out why adults did it so often.

This kiss, though, was making Natsu start to realize why Gildarts and the older guys kept talking about doing it so often. He wasn't certain _what_ it was. He did not have the words. But he now found himself enjoying the situation greatly.

"Here you go sensei. I finished your orders," Natsu dimly heard another girl say as Chao began to push her face upwards, driving him back towards the restaurant's wall. His body thumped into it as she tightened her grip around his neck. "I hope that the three of you enjoy the meal, and that you stop by the restaurant when we open during the school festival."

Natsu paid the words little heed. Chao had just flicked her tongue along his lips, and the feeling sent a thrill down his spine. The dragon-slayer tightened his grip on her tiny waist as he lifted her off of the ground and onto his body.

It was only when a sharp, tingling pain in his side broke through the haze in which he found himself that Natsu remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

It was being caused by Negi as he poked the tip of his large staff into Natsu's side and twisted it. And if the smell coming from the bag he held was any indication then the kid also had their food.

Food!

Reminded of his overwhelming desire for food, Natsu broke the kiss and started to separate himself from the girl. When he went to let go of her waist, Natsu realized that he was actually supporting the young girl's entire weight. If he just let go then the young woman would probably fall to the ground.

For a moment Natsu was stricken dumb. He had no idea how to respond in this sort of situation. Kissing Lisanna when they had been young had never resulted in something like this, and Gildart's advice had only covered the events leading up to a kiss.

After wracking his brain for a few seconds and coming up with nothing, Natsu decided to give Chao's body a slight shake.

"Oi, you alright?" he asked gruffly.

She didn't respond as she continued to cling tightly to his neck. Her face was buried deep into his shoulder. Natsu gave her another shake and called her name.

Still no response.

Feeling panic begin to well up as she remained unresponsive, Natsu turned to face Negi. "Oi, uh, Negi, come over here. I think I did something wrong when I kissed her."

"Um, Natsu," Negi said hesitantly, "I think that she might be pregnant now."

"No! That's not how things work!" Then Natsu paused as a thought occurred to him. "Crap. At least, it doesn't work that way back where I'm from. And it's got to be the same here, right?"

Negi didn't respond. The kid's face looked to be deep in thought as he considered Natsu's reply.

The dragon-slayer felt his stomach sink as he saw the kid's pensive expression. "Right Negi? Right? Please tell me that I'm not wrong."

Gray would never stop making fun of him if he was wrong. Happy would probably be the same, along with a smart ass comment followed by a giggle. Lucy and Wendy would just stare at him with disappointed eyes. While Erza would… oh no. Erza would not be happy about this. She would either lecture him for a week, kill him, or force him to serve some sort of punishment for the rest of his life.

If Natsu were to guess, then he would place even odds on the second and third options happening after option one ended.

"I don't know, Natsu. But you need to take responsibility for your actions."

"What the hell does that even mean? I always take responsibility for my actions!"

Negi's eyes widened. "Yo-you mean, you mean to say that you've gotten more girls pregnant than just Chao?"

Natsu opened his mouth to shout out a denial when he felt Chao's head shift on his should. The girl pulled back and stared at him, her dark eyes soft and confused pools of light within the night air. Well, Natsu couldn't really blame her for looking like that, not after the short argument which had just taken place over her supposed pregnancy. He was pretty worried and confused himself.

"Um, never mind Negi. I think that she's okay." Natsu said as he grinned sheepishly. He tried to cover up his embarrassment over the boy's line of questioning by changing the tone of the discussion.

"Sorry about that," he said sincerely, "but, um, with the kid not paying up and all I decided to pay instead. I, uh, hope I didn't step over any boundaries or somethin'. I mean, it was really good! I definitely enjoyed myself and hope that you did too."

Chao's dark eyes glittered in the brazier's firelight. The girl's soft eyes turned into a hard stare as she looked at him, and seeing her gaze made Natsu recall his earlier instinctual feeling. He had let his guard down when he kissed her, forgetting the dangerous sparkle he had seen within her eyes.

The dragon-slayer's nervousness grew further as he recalled one of Mirajane's lessons from his youth. ' _Never kiss a girl that didn't ask for it,'_ the white haired S mage had said to Gray and Natsu after the two young boys had listened to Gildart's talk about how to deal with women _._ After a moment's thought Mirajane had also added, _'and even if she did, make sure she actually meant it'_.

It was that part of the woman's advice which Natsu found himself remembering most vividly, as it most likely applied to his current situation.

His thoughts on the subject were broken off when Chao stopped her piercing stare and instead began to smile at him once again.

"Ne, it's quite okay, Natsu," the girl said as she disentangled herself from his arms. "Even if it was somewhat in jest, the offer was honestly made. I have no regrets for the way things turned out."

Chao reached out a hand and patted his cheek. "Besides, I enjoyed myself as well. You have quite the unique," she seemed to search for the words she wanted to say, "flavor-ne, and someone has taught you how to use your body quite well."

The dark-eyed girl then bowed her head slightly and clasped her hands over her slightly wrinkled silk dress. "May the two of you have a pleasant evening and enjoy your food. It was good to see you, bouzu.."

Negi bowed his head to her in return. "It was my pleasure, miss Lingshen. I will see you in class."

Chao's eyes turned to Natsu, and her sparkling gaze raised the hair on the back of his neck. "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Natsu. I hope that you can visit my restaurant in the future. Tonight truly was an unexpected surprise."

Unsure of how to reply to her, and suddenly feeling as though he may have gotten himself in over his head, Natsu merely gave her a thumbs up and a hurried answer that yes, he would visit her restaurant again. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he needed to get out of the area as fast as he could. Natsu had no idea why it was screaming at him, but when his instincts went off Natsu knew better than to disregard them.

Besides, he had been able to fish a hot coal out of the nearby brazier while Chao and Negi had bowed their heads to one another. The longer he stayed still, the more likely it was that someone would notice he had it hidden in his left hand.

Yet as they left the restaurant, Natsu heard Chao whisper under her breath. "You I did not plan for at all, dear _cousin_ Natsu. Oh no, not at all."

Puzzled by her words, Natsu tried to think of why a restaurant owner would make plans for him. He came up with nothing and decided to put it to the side for the time being. Instead, he concentrated on more important things, such as taking a bite out of the hot coal the moment he thought himself out Chao's line of sight.

"Mm." Natsu said aloud as the coal's heat worked its way down into his stomach. The uncertainty caused by kissing her had definitely been worth it to get a bite of fresh fire.

There was nothing else like the feeling of eating a good flame.

* * *

 **A/N:** An early update and it's the longest chapter since Chapter 1 of this story. It was also one of the most enjoyable to do in the rewrite thanks to one character in particular.

I honestly think that Chao is my favorite character in this fic. In Negima canon, Evangeline and Jack Rakan are absolutely my favorites (followed closely by Chisame). In Fairy Tail my favorite characters are Erza and Natsu. But for this fic Chao is definitely the most enjoyable to write and the most fun to include within a scene. She just makes everything come alive to me. The scenes I place her in almost seem to write themselves, to the point that I nearly wish that I could drop every other character and make it a story about Natsu and Chao alone.

But that would be dumb, so I won't be doing that. But if someone ever feels like writing a one-shot or anything using my take on them as a base, then I would be more than happy to help see it happen.

Next chapter will see the biggest divergence from my previous story. After looking the chapter over for a while I decided to scrap the layout and separate it into two. In hindsight I was trying to do too much too quickly in it and the chapter suffered for it. But more on that next week.

On to the comments!

 _The Mahora Crew: _One of the challenges that I set myself when I first started writing this fic is that I wouldn't completely drop any of the characters in Negima. I might not use some of them as prominently, and I may not even use some of them the way they were intended to within canon, but I won't drop them entirely. Characters like Haruna, who played a small background role in canon, will still be around. This chapter was a first stab at using them within the new dynamic.

The hard part will be figuring out how to strike a balance between inserting them into scenes and leaving them out, and I would appreciate any thoughts all of you might have on the matter. Feel free to leave a review (both now and in future chapters) if you feel that I am swinging to one extreme or another.

 _Haruna Saotome:_ She won't be a major player, but expect chaos to break out whenever she does make an appearance. I love her over the top, wreaking ball approach to things in Negima canon and plan to use it in my own plots.

She also serves another specific role in this scene and it will not be the last time I cast her in it. If you can figure out what it is, then kudos! Let me know in a PM and I will acknowledge you in a future A/N.

 _Chao Lingshen:_ In this fic, Chao will be one of the girls who is paired with Natsu. I did this for a few reasons. 1) I'm not a fan of the Japanese (and fan fiction) trope/stereotype of hinting at incestuous pairings (I'm looking at you, NarutoxKushina and HarryxLily fans). The only real exception being LelouchxEuphemia from Code Geass (it just works, dammit, and Suzaku definitely does not deserve Euphemia), and even there I prefer LelouchxKallen. I'm sorry to disappoint some of you but Chao's playful teasing of Negi will be as close as that gets for them in my story. 2) Because it will help me setup some things in both the Magic Festival arc and beyond. 3) Because, as I started writing this so many years ago, it just seemed to happen naturally. It's here to stay.

 _Natsu Dragneel:_ With this chapter I have begun to introduce a few changes to Natsu. In canon, Natsu showed a complete disregard for societal norms when it came to physical intimacy (see bathing with Erza, or his multiple gropes of Lucy's naked chest throughout the series), but he never kissed anyone that I can recall.

But as you can see I have already changed that, and I have no plans to stop. My take on Natsu when it comes to this area is that the young dragon-slayer, due to his initial raising by Igneel and his haphazard childhood in the guild, is not sure about how to express feelings of love or even lust. The pink-haired dragon slayer is a virile, straight young adult male who is interested in the opposite sex but has never tried to find out more about it. His kiss with Chao will serve as a bit of a wake up call, awakening him to both his human hormones and his dragon instincts – and perhaps something else too. All because Natsu himself is not a normal human being.

He is human/demon hybrid brought back to life by Zeref's magic. Who was then trained and raised by a dragon that further messed with his biology and biochemistry. He was then 'abandoned' and raised by a group of caring but crazy adults who constantly drank and fought one another in brawls to express their affection for one another. None of that makes for an ideal child-rearing environment… but dem's da breaks. I plan to explore each of those various aspects. Especially as they relate to Negi's own messed up childhood.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Tough Love_ by Racke. It's a just under 10k Negima fic based on an intriguing "what if" premise where Eva ends up raising Negi once Nagi disappears.

Until next time,

Elsil


	6. Hello Dolly

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **6**

 **Hello Dolly**

The magic users made their way to Eva's cabin in short order. Natsu and Negi had caught up with Takamichi soon after their encounter with Chao had come to an end and had proceeded at a quick pace. Much to their consternation, Natsu had happily munched on the hot coal he had palmed from the brazier outside of Chao's restaurant during the walk. It was only after he had finished savoring the coal's earthy flavor that Natsu joined the other two males in eating the food they had purchased from the interesting girl's restaurant.

Unfortunately for Natsu, that had been the most interesting part of the trip so far. Things had become exceedingly dull once they had reached their destination. Negi and Takamichi had pulled out some strange magical devices which beeped and blooped as the two mages walked around the cabin. Seemingly engrossed by this activity, the two of them hadn't said so much as a word to Natsu while they discussed ridiculous sounding mumbo jumbo in hushed tones with one another.

What they were doing _was_ probably important. Natsu had heard that support type mages back in Fiore did similar things when trying to investigate some new or different natural phenomenon. And if it got the dragon-slayer one step closer to getting home or finding his friends, then he would try to find a way to bear with it.

He just wished that they had not told him to stay outside. Why had they done that? It was not like he was a menace to society like Gray or Gajeel. Or even Lucy with her oddly Graylike stripping habit. Besides, Natsu had had enough of woods for the near future. He could run around them later if he felt like it. All he wanted out of this situation was to be inside the cabin, checking things out and seeing if he could get into a brawl with the vampire while the two brainy mages worked on their own things.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Natsu muttered as he kicked a rock with his foot. The rock shot into impacted a nearby tree, embedding itself deep within the bark. "I've blown down plenty of doors before and it hasn't really bothered anyone. Heck, it's even gotten some pretty good results! Like when I had to face that insane gorilla woman back on my first mission with Lucy. Even if the girl that lives here is supposed to be an ancient vampire mage or something, a good fist-fight won't cause any serious damage. It'd be over well before they finished out here."

The dragon-slayer wasn't really certain what a vampire was. They were supposed to be really scary to normal people but Natsu was not worried. Lucy had told him that they were nearly invulnerable to physical damage but incredibly weak to fire based magical attacks. And if what Lucy had told him was true then Natsu should be pretty safe from them. After all, fire magic was in his blood. Anything or anyone weak against fire had the absolute worst match up in the world when going against him. If the fist-fight started to get out of control then he could just light up a fist and end things quickly.

Natsu scratched an itch on his head and then looked towards his two companions. Both of their faces were still glued to these weird things they had taken out from within their suits upon arriving at Eva's home twenty minutes ago. Though the devices were now beeping instead of blooping.

He felt a twitch begin to develop over his right eye. There was only so much patience in him, and Natsu could feel every shred of it being tested.

Ten minutes after that saw Natsu reach the end of his patience. His natural dislike of standing still was starting to manifest in an itch under his skin. It was time to move things along before he started blowing things up and got himself in trouble.

"Oi, you guys done over there yet?" Natsu called out grumpily. "I'd like to go inside and meet this Eva girl again, and maybe have a good fight or two with her while we're there."

The two native mages exchanged looks. After a quick nonverbal exchange Takamichi gave Negi a quick nod. The little guy then put his device down as Takamichi pulled out _yet_ _another_ blinking device. This new one made a piercing wail which tore at Natsu's ears as Negi walked towards the dragon-slayer's position. Natsu had to plug two fingers into his ears to deaden the sound, and it did nothing to help his already fraying temper.

"Ah, Natsu, you don't really understand. It's difficult to explain why we shouldn't enter Eva's house. But, um, basically she would be very mad at us, and if that were to happen then we might not be able to finish gathering our readings. We need to try and learn more about the magical anomaly out here before we try to take readings from inside her house."

" _Argh!_ _Nope. We're done here._ " The dragon-slayer yelled in frustration. He started walking towards the cabin as soon as he finished speaking. For all he knew, one of his friends was somewhere inside. Waiting for him, and possibly just as worried about their fellow guild-mates, while Natsu just stood outside and did nothing.

He was done waiting around and doing nothing. It was time to do things the Fairy Tail way. " You've already had enough time to do your thing, so screw it. I'm just gonna blow the door down, enter, and look to see if one of my friends is nearby while the two of you keep on doing whatever out here."

A lick of flame popped into existence around one of Natsu's curled fists as he spoke. It would take only a tiny amount of effort on his part to turn the small flame into a roaring bonfire. A bonfire which could be hurled from his fist and shatter the door currently blocking him from progressing any further.

Negi shook his head in disagreement as he moved himself to block Natsu's path. "Stop Natsu! Please wait. You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

"That thanks to a spell my father cast on her long ago Eva is stuck in the body of a little kid and is limited to the powers and abilities of a little kid as well."

That brought Natsu up short. Dangit! Did the kid really have to go and say that? Fairy Tail mages hated bullies just as much as they loved a good fight, and if what the kid had said was true then Natsu would just be bullying her if he fought her right now.

Still, something just did not add up about the situation.

"She didn't seem all that weak to me back in that Kyoto place," Natsu pointed out as he lit one of his fists on fire, "And if she's as weak as you say, all the time, then how did she seem so tough a short time ago?"

"Um, that was a, uh, a special case." Negi replied. The little kid's brow furrowed in thought as he spoke, as if the kid was thinking of something other than the matters at hand.

Natsu was not in a mood to entertain him. He pushed Negi to one side and kept walking towards the door. "Well, whatever it was, it can happen again right? I'm still going in."

"Ack! No Natsu, it's not that simple at all. Wait, stop!"

" _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_ "

* * *

The place Gray had found himself in was hell. Pain coursed through his entire body as he wrenched himself away from the maniacal doll pursuing him. The thing was no bigger than Happy or Carla, but the giant meat cleaver it wielded had just carved into his left side with murderous intent.

The tiny monstrosity gave him no quarter as he tried to back away, a tattered white sheet flaring around his waist as he moved. "Weeee, look at it bleed." The doll screamed joyfully in a high pitched, female voice. Each word was punctuated with a slash of its cleaver. "I cut you, I skewer you, I make you into mincemeat. Then I take your bleeding parts and turn you into a stew. So die you ugly little cockroach. Die for the pleasure of my mistress!"

Gray scrambled to the side as the insane doll taunted him, dodging the thing's cleaver and gritting his teeth as blood dripped down his side. He had to find some way to deal with the wound before loss of blood affected him further, but the blasted creature was keeping the pressure on him.

With a quick feint to his right, Gray made a rolling leap to his left and was finally able to place some distance between them. Slamming his hands together to form his magic, Gray forced another spell out of his dwindling supply of magical energy. " _Ice Make: Floor!_ "

A thick coating of ice came into being, covering the surrounding floor for as far as Gray's eyes could see. He gave a grunt of exertion as the magic left him, and holding a hand to his side as he wobbled on his feet. The cut was shallow but long. It seemed to have missed all of his vital areas. Still, Gray could feel his side grow slick as blood poured from the wound.

Gray put an emergency coating of ice over the cut to slow down the bleeding. Doing so stung like hell and would cause the wound to leave quite the scar upon healing, but Gray preferred both over dying.

As he placed the ice on his side the blasted doll found a way to continue its attack. The thing rose into the air as if it were on invisible strings. The doll's maid-like dress fluttered through the air as it floated towards him, slashing its blade as it continued to laugh maniacally.

Gray stared at it blankly for a moment before cursing and covering one of his arms with a blade of ice. It was always something new with the dolls. Every time he came up with a tactic to beat them the damn dolls always pulled out some new trick from their collective hat which completely negated his latest tactic. He had lost count of just how many he had broken or left trapped in ice. For the first time since this fight began, Gray let the frustration he felt bubble to the surface.

"Dammit, what does it take to _end_ you all?" Gray shouted. The doll tried to stab him again as he spoke, but Gray blocked its cleaver with his own icy blade. "Why won't you just leave me alone? And why can't you just go back to shouting in that stupid language of yours? I liked it more when I couldn't understand a thing you said."

The dolls reply came in the form of a stilted laugh and a series of cleaver strikes aimed at his genitals. The thing was crazy but determined, launching attack after attack as it crowed in victory.

"Haha! Look at all the delicious red stuff you put on my blade, silly human." The doll's tiny lips curled into a sadistic rictus as it spoke, matching the blood-crazed look in its lifeless eyes. "Your life is mine, black-haired pervert. No one enters the master's bed uninvited and leaves without paying the price. Not you, not 'Reo, not even a goddamn dragon. Any and all comers must either pay or feel _the_ _ _wrath__ _of Chachazero!_ "

This had to be the most confusing fight of his life as Gray honestly did not know _what_ on Earthland the creature was even talking about. He had never wanted to be in this place, let alone stuck in someone's bed. Still, the doll's intentions were clear and Gray did not intend to give the crazed being a single chance to make good on its threats.

He locked his icy armblade with the thing's cleaver. Then, with a quick twist of his arm Gray bashed the backside of the doll's own blade into its face and slammed the demented creature into the floor. Its body slid along the ice coated rubble which surrounded them, ricocheting off of frozen blocks of stone like a pinball gone mad.

Alas the strike was not enough to put the thing down. The doll popped back up and flew at him through the air an instant after it hit the ground, screaming bloody vengeance at the top of its lungs.

Looking at the thing and blocking its flurry of swipes, Gray felt that this fight was getting him nowhere. His chances of beating the thing using guerrilla tactics might work, but doing so would force him to expel more energy than he could afford to waste. By this point it was clear that he was in a battle of attrition, and when in such a battle the smart decision was to be as fast and efficient as possible.

Dispelling his icy blade, Gray punched it in the face and sent it flying once again. He then slammed both hands together and took the stance his master Ur had taught him. Both legs were spread apart as he extended each arm in front of his body to summon and ground the magic within his body.

Gray brought his right fist crashing down into the open palm of his left hand as he yelled out the spell's activating words, " _Ice Make: Geyser!_ "

The magic left Gray's body as it activated, rushing forward in a torrent of power. A pillar of frozen magic burst forth from the ground, shooting towards the sky with blinding speed. The screams of the doll cut off the instant the ice reached the thing, trapping its tiny form within a tomb of ice.

Its maniacal assault finally ended, silence fell on the area.

Gray looked around his position, checking to see if another one of the dolls was lurking in the shadows. But although that had happened to him numerous times in his battle against the blasted things, it seemed that Gray had finally managed to purchase some breathing room.

Wearily, he brought one hand to his face and sighed into it. Then he sank to his rear with a groan as his body began to pay the price for casting such a powerful spell while it was running on fumes. He had put his body through the wringer since he had first woken up and it was starting to give out on him.

Stars burst behind his eyes and his vision started to swim. Gray's breaths came in heaving gasps as the pain from this battle joined with the wounds he had received in the earlier skirmishes. His body fell back against the frozen pillar, his body unable to stand on its own.

The pain came in waves, battering his skull and aching muscles. It flared from the wound in his side and every cut and bruise on his skin. Every inch of his body hurt. Every part felt like it was either bruised or on fire, forming a crescendo of aching torment.

It was tough to see or think through its haze, and it wasn't long before black began to nibble at the edge of his sight. The icy chill of the pillar began to recede as Gray felt his mind begin to lose consciousness.

"C'mon body. Hang in there." Gray told himself as he blinked his eyes to clear away the stars and blackness. He was behind enemy lines and, unless his missing comrades suddenly made an appearance, completely alone. He tried to control his breath and take deep, focused breaths. After what felt like an eternity to the dark-haired ice user, his vision began to clear.

"That's how you do it, Gray," he coughed out as another wave of pain hit. Talking to himself was helping nearly as much as the breathing. "Don't let some punkass doll beat you. Those things aren't worth crap. And heck, Natsu'd never let me hear the end of it if I was done in by a bunch of shitty ass toys that look like they were made for a little girl."

Gray could picture it as clear as the ice his head rested against. As the rest of the guild cried over his dead body with an appropriate amount of sadness there would be one person who was different. Natsu would be standing over it with a clear look of annoyance. His stupid face would be scrunched up as smoke came out of his ears, all while he mumbled something stupid and unintelligible beneath his breath. Then the dragon-slayer would probably shout out some inane thing about Gray being a pansy who couldn't even handle a bunch of dolls, that Natsu would show him how a real man did things, and then light his corpse on fire just to prove a point about something.

Well, maybe not the part of being a man. That was more an Elfman thing. Regardless though, once Natsu also kicked the bucket the pink-haired idiot would find a way to show up in Gray's afterlife just so he could boast that it had taken some ancient demon god or a hundred thousand super soldiers to put the dragon-slayer down. All while Natsu gloated over how much more awesome that made him.

An eternal hell like that could not be allowed to happen.

Gray pushed himself off of the frozen pillar of ice with an effort of pure willpower. He tottered forward on unsteady feet, fighting gravity's pull with every ounce of strength he could summon. For a moment, Gray feared that he had bitten off more than he could chew as his left side began to buckle. But the thought of Natsu's boasting face laughing at him for all of eternity sent a surge of adrenaline through Gray's body, shoring up his weakened muscles and finally beating gravity for the time being. The first thing he did was to stare up at the frozen pillar of ice and curse its frozen denizen for the misery it had given to him.

"Fuck you, you damn psychopath," Gray wheezed painfully at the frozen figure. "And don't come back with any of your friends either. I've killed over a thousand of you bastards, and enough is enough. I'm sick of this place. I'm sick of you. And I am _done_ fighting you all. Alright?"

With his body back under his control, and his anger vented, Gray braced himself with an arm against the pillar while he contemplated what to do next. He hissed in pain as he felt the skin around the cut in his side tighten from the movement.

Feeling the length of the cut with one of his fingers, the ice mage winced and counted his blessings. "Damn thing almost gutted me with a friggin meat cleaver," he muttered incredulously. The cut ran clear across his ribs for a good six inches. If he had been an instant slower in dodging the doll's blade, then there was good chance that attack might have done him in for good.

"Note to self," Gray muttered under his breath as he started to tear apart what little remained of the bed sheet he had wrapped around his lower body. He began to twist them into rough bandages with practiced familiarity. "Never allow kids to own dolls with blades. It is not a good idea, unless its Erza's future kids, which would then make it a _horrible_ idea."

The blanket had been the only thing Gray had managed to grab while the little girl he had woken beside had proceeded to shriek like a banshee. Still dozy, Gray had slapped both of his hands against his ears and kicked the girl in her chest to shut her up.

Kicking her had been a big mistake. Because the instant the girl had stopped shrieking as she tumbled off of the bed and onto the floor a horde of dolls had come pouring out of thin air to attack him. Gray had barely managed to scramble off of the bed and dodge their attacks before the girl had then chanted some sort of spell which, upon completion, nearly ended Gray's life in one fell swoop. Having a block of ice the size of a small hill slam into his body tested even his durability and resistance to ice magic.

Gray's eyes tightened in fear from just remembering the small girl's spell. He had never seen ice magic on such a large scale cast so quickly. He himself could not do it. His fellow disciple Lyon sure as hell could not do it. Heck, not even Ur had ever displayed anything of the sort except when she had cast the spell to seal Deliora!

Any thought of possibly explaining why he had been in the girl's bed in the first place had been shut down as Gray cast the strongest defensive shield he could summon before the girl's spell hit. The shield managed to block enough of the massive spell that his body could handle the rest, but the sheer impact of it hitting him had sent Gray rocketing through the air like a cannonball.

The difference in power between their two spells had been blatantly obvious. Gray could only thank his lucky stars that he had not bumped into her while fighting against the angry horde of dolls.

The demented mannequins were bad, but what they possessed in terms of numbers they lacked in terms of power. If the little girl's powerful ice magic had been added to the equation... well, Gray knew he would have been strung up faster than a fish in Happy's knapsack, and likely with just as ghastly of an end.

The pain in his side worsened as Gray applied the crude bandages he had just made. Undoing the coating of ice on the wound made his skin feel like it was covered in a swarm of poisonous red ants. It also allowed the blood beneath his skin to flow freely through the tear in his side.

Gray's breath hissed between tight teeth as he held the makeshift bandage tightly to his bloody side. The cloth was soon stained with red as it adhered to the skin beneath. With that accomplished Gray then placed another, longer bandage on top of the first and wrapped it around his side. He knotted it to apply pressure and hopefully stop it from continuing to bleed.

Standing up gingerly, Gray moved his body around to test the strength of his makeshift bandage. It tightened ever so slightly, and ached horribly, but it held firm. As long as it was on Gray would not be pulling any acrobatic feats anytime soon but would be able to retain some degree of mobility.

It should keep him alive long enough to escape this hellhole. Staying as a sitting duck while his wound healed would be the death of him for certain. What had seemed to be a beautiful but isolated resort when Gray had first arrived had been turned into broken rubble after two days of near constant fighting.

Gray was running on fumes by this point. After the first few hours of full out battle with the dolls, with hordes of the things streaming at him while he cast spell after spell to stop them, the situation had settled into guerrilla warfare. Every time he had found a place to hide the dolls had flushed him out. The things had refused to allow him any prolonged period to rest or recuperate. And whenever Gray had tried to take the offensive they had swarmed to his location in an endless horde, forcing him to retreat.

The only strategy which seemed to be somewhat effective was one of constant movement, but it was not without its own drawbacks. Constant movement required energy and opened him to ambushes. Ambushes like the one he had just fought off from the cleaver wielding doll, and fighting through them without any rest had taken its toll.

Gray would have to use what magic power he had left wisely. He could cast two or three more big spells, or maybe a dozen small ones, before he passed out from sheer magic exhaustion. He was already close to the edge. Psycho doll's attack had only made things worse by causing him to lose a lot of blood on top of things.

His hands were trembled as he rested them on his thighs as he looked around. Gray needed to find a way out of this place and it needed to happen soon. But he had precious few clues to follow.

In the entire time Gray had spent fighting the dolls he had discovered the area in which he had been dumped was oddly limited. The main complex itself was quite large, and it was perched upon what appeared to be a massive tower next to the ocean, but beyond that there existed little of anything else.

Other than an exposed staircase winding down towards the ocean, Gray had been unable to find a single way to leave what he had taken to calling the resort from hell. It was seemingly devoid of life or inhabitants. The only other living creature Gray having encountered being the little girl who had chucked the massive block of ice at his head.

Thinking back to her caused Gray's chest to tighten. It wasn't much to go on but it seemed that she was the only lead he had. He would need to try and find her again in the slim hope that she could be persuaded to help him escape. But knowing his luck with these sorts of things, it was going to involve a lot of pain and even more fighting before that could happen.

As he looked from side to side, trying to decide where he should begin his search, Gray growled aloud to himself. Making his way through the ruins of the place was going to be a nerve wracking experience. "Now, if I were a supercharged little girl living in an isolated resort inhabited by crazy dolls, where would I be located?"

"You would probably be close by," a cold, feminine voice said from behind Gray's right ear. "Getting ready to put your newest toy back into its bin."

Adrenaline surged within his veins. Gray whipped his body around and slammed his hands together to cast a defensive spell.

She had snuck up on him. To make matters worse, the girl's presence now blazed with a power the likes of which Gray had never before encountered in a human. Laxus and Hades paled in comparison to it. The closest thing he could compare it to were those scary massive dragons future Rogue had brought through Zeref's gate, or possibly the inhuman Zeref himself. Gray knew that he was finished if she was able to land even a single blow on his battered body.

But he was too late.

" _Tempestatem Congelata Vincula!_ "

The girl spat the strange words out faster than he could move his hands, conjuring a storm of wind and ice which slammed into his body like a sledgehammer. Gray felt the spell's impact deep within his bones as the spell flung him through the air. He smashed through a giant pillar of stone at the apex of his trajectory, causing him to cough up blood as the impact broke who knew how many bones. The ice mage crashed through it and into the open courtyard beyond. His body slammed face down into the courtyard's flagstones, and a burst of light to flashed behind his eyes as he came to a halt.

Then a massive force gripped Gray's body, picking him up and slamming him into the ground once again. Heavy chains wrapped around him, binding him fast to the stone floor. Gray could taste the cloyingly sweet taste of blood in his mouth. Something had popped in his chest after the final impact and he could feel his upper body beginning to turn numb.

"You must be the first assassin sent to take my head in nearly half a century," the girl spoke sweetly. He could hear her nearby, likely floating in the air as she prepared to deal the final blow. "It's a pity that you won't able to grow into your full strength; you have great skill for someone so young, and I can't remember the last time someone was daring enough to attack me on my own home turf. With a few more years you may have been able to provide me with some true sport."

Gray tried to lift his head, only to have a bare foot slam his face back into the flagstones. He cried out as his teeth bit into his tongue. Blood welled from the fresh wound, dripping from his mouth as the girl slowly ground his face into the stone with her slim heel.

"Why must the young always be in such a hurry?" The girl said with a sigh. "To think that you could defeat the Dark Evangel with this level of power was beyond stupid. You are a hundred years too early, boy, and your master is a fool for wasting your talent in such an endeavor."

Gray felt every broken shard in the ground try to knife its way into his skin as she continued to apply pressure with her tiny foot. For such a little thing the girl was deceptively strong. Too strong for him to resist in his injured state. Probably too strong for him to resist even were he uninjured.

He tried to keep his mouth shut, but bits and pieces worked their way in. Soon his mouth was filled with chips of rock and a cement-like mixtures of dust, saliva, and blood. It spilled out of his mouth in bloody heaves as he gagged on it.

Her foot let off the pressure, allowing him to shift his head to the side and spit out everything that had entered his mouth. Some of it had gone down his throat, entering his stomach and lungs.

Gray's body was wracked with a sudden spasm of heaves as his body emptied itself of the mixture of rock, dust and blood.

The soft patter of feet came as she moved away. Hearing it ticked him off; he had wanted to get some of the vomit on her feet.

"Speak, assassin, and end your suffering before it has yet to truly begin. You are beaten, and your life hangs upon the slimmest of threads. The tiniest sliver of mercy which yet dwells within me. Speak, or be prepared to receive a taste of what my dolls can do _really_ when I am truly motivated."

Silence fell as the girl's words hung in the air. The only sound came from their breathing.

Gray worked his tongue around his teeth, dislodging what material he could and working moisture back into his mouth. More bloody spit fell to the ground as he continued to cough and spit out the crap which had found its way down his throat.

He felt terrible. Worse than when he had fought Ultear, and worse than when he fought those walking dragonmen with Juvia and the rest.

But he would not be bowed. It took every ounce of strength in his body, but Gray managed to raise his head. He could feel it in his body the moment his dark-eyed gaze made contact with her blazing red eyes.

The girl stood before him in a skimpy black dress whose red highlights could have been taken from the blood covering Gray's body. Golden hair framed green irises tinged with red in a startlingly pale face. A face that wore an expression of bloody glee that no child should ever wear.

Everything about her dug under his skin. After all of the pain he had endured, after the sacrifices of both Ur and Ultear, this is would be how he met his end? At the hands of an insane child who couldn't be older than ten? It was insulting to everything he had ever done and to everyone he had ever known.

Lyon would probably disown him if he ever found out. Natsu would laugh himself silly. Yet there was nothing Gray could do to win or to run. There was only so much damage body could take before it broke, and that point had been reached long ago.

However, he would be damned if he went down without so much as a squeak. He refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing him cower. With a hacking cough he could feel in every fiber of his body, Gray met the girl's eyes and forced himself to speak.

"You know kid, I've got no idea what you're talking about," he rasped. "I woke up in your bed, with no idea how or why I had even gotten there. My friends are missing, maybe dead, and if I'd known that you and your crazy dolls were around to beat the living shit out of me for two days, well, I would've tried a damn bit harder to break out of this place when I first woke up."

A fit of coughing hit him, wracking his entire body and forcing Gray to drop his head to the ground. He bit out his next words into the dust and stone.

"So while I know nothing about you, your dolls, or this hellish place you seem to call home, I do know this; that when you kill me, you will be making an enemy of the worst guild of wizards you could possibly anger." He manged to raise his head one final time. "So you had better hide my death, 'cause if you don't... then Fairy Tail's gonna come knocking. And they will blow you away."

Gray spat out a wad of bloody dust at her feet to punctuate his words. The next and last thing he saw was the girl's pale foot racing towards his face.

 **END**

 **A/N:** Well, this chapter had a bit of a delay. Suffice to say that I will be making up the other chapter that I owe on Wednesday. I did not plan to be delayed this long, but life sometimes throws us a curve ball, and sometimes that cure ball whacks you right in the face.

 **Important:** I've gotten a good number of PMs, and a few reviews, asking about pairings in this series. My original plan was to stay mum on the subject but reader interest seems to be going in the other direction. I've made a poll to address this issue. Go vote in it if you want me to stay the course or if you would prefer that I list pairings.

For those of you who read this chapter back in the day (or looked it up in the old fic as you waited for me to get back to this point in the story), it will be obvious how much I truly changed the layout of things. I took out some scenes, added some new bits into the mix and changed the flow of things entirely.

This chapter also sees the entrance of the second FT member. Forewarning, it will be quite some time until another Fairy makes an entrance beyond a cameo appearance. Probably not until around the time of the Mahora Magic Festival.

On to the comments!

 _Evangeline:_ For anyone who has ready Negima you would know that we never saw the limits of her power. Heck we barely even saw her full power unleashed. It was frustrating and annoying, but if UQ Holder is anything to go by then the author must have been keeping her in reserve for some future arc before he got into a fight with his publisher (Google it. It makes for an interesting/depressing read).

For the purposes of my fic Evangeline is absolutely in the top tier of combatants. She has skill in spades, power to spare, as well as both life and combat experience in excess. She would have few equals at this point (characters such as Jack Rakan and Albireo), and even fewer would be placed above her (such as Zeref or Nagi Springfield). I'll be using her to pound Gray and Natsu into the ground while demonstrating that they have a long way to go before they can reach the top.

I'm not sure if I will use UQ Holder's whole 'she's not a real vampire but was taught by one' plot (I definitely won't be bringing Touta into things as I _despise_ his character), but I _will_ be hitting up her vampire heritage. As someone who once lived in Romania (a wonderful and amazing country!) I love the whole vampire mythos. And I'm talking about the old school Nosferatu stuff, not the Twighlight era 'vampires are cute boys/girls who just want love' idiocy.

I won't have Eva become the next Alucard (although now that I think of it, there is definitely some possible crossover material there), but she will definitely not be as soft as she was in canon. She will be out for blood, dominance, and freedom. Just not necessarily in that order. I really like the idea of Eva actually being a reformed villain as she was in Negima instead of being a misunderstood hero (goddamn you yet again UQ Holder).

 _Gray_ _Fullbuster_ _:_ All I can say is poor Gray. Not only has he been flung to a new universe but he was nearly killed by an irate vampire the moment he arrived.

He's going to struggle with adapting to the new world longer than Natsu because of differences in how I view their characters.

I view Natsu as being highly willing and able to adapt to new circumstances whereas Gray does not like change and tries to hold on to how things used to be. This is not to say that Natsu will give up on getting home to FT (that would be destroying a fundamental part of his character), nor that Gray will go to Sasuke levels of emo-ness (flame me over a bed of hot coals if that ever starts to happen). Gray is just more intellectual than Natsu. The ice user trends more towards self-reflection and self-doubt than the dragon-slayer, which will allow me to explore the more complex aspects of being stuck in a new world than I could with Natsu alone.

I am currently on the fence about Gray's romantic pairing. I'm considering getting him into a polyamorous relationship (note the differences between a polyamorous relationship, a polygamous relationship and that of a harem), but have not made up my mind at this time. His is pretty much the only unresolved relationship situation that I have left (other than a continual annoyance with part of Negi's harem that I am considering fixing by borrowing from UQ Holder thanks to Raiyoukai's guidance).

I also view Gray and Natsu as having a tsundere bromance going on. So whenever you see me have the two insult one another, just know that it is usually somewhat tongue in cheek.

 _Other:_ Just as a forewarning so that no one can say that I did not warn them, there _will_ be a monogamous guyxguy relationship in this fic much later on (a few readers already know this as they have left reviews/PMs on this to which I have replied). Neither Natsu, Negi, nor Gray will be in it. Think of the new Voltron's Shiro as an example (also, watch that show on Netflix if you haven't already. It is a GREAT show and is just about to send out its final season).

The pairing will not be a major focus of the story, and it won't be explicitly stated for quite some time, but it _will_ be there in the background as I a) always thought that it was a likely canon ship, and b) feel that I need to include it because life is a kaleidoscope of differences. Some of us like the opposite sex. Some of us like the same sex. And others can like both sexes, neither of them, or something completely different.

It's a crazy and interesting world out there.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Legal Matter_ by Llybian Minamino. It's a cool multi-chapter Slayers fic featuring Xelloss and Filia who have to deal the fact that they are unexpectedly married to one another.

Until next time,

Elsil


	7. Softly Humming

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **7**

 **Softly Humming**

Eva arched an eyebrow in disgust at the young man's actions. Part of his bloody saliva had touched her foot, and kicking him so hard that he lost consciousness was not enough to wash the bitter taste from her mouth. The boy's words were a serious downer, ruining the past two days of constant torture she had inflicted upon the mystery mage who had dared to show up naked in her bed. A quick word of magic and chains of ice sprang from the courtyard's surface and bound the dark-haired boy's battered body.

She sighed to herself as she ran a hand through her golden locks. The final confrontation between them had been such a letdown. She had watched him battle ferociously against her dolls and had found his determination to be intriguing. Several times she had placed him into check, only for him to grasp the slimmest of chances to escape her minions.

Such grit had been impressive, so she had sent Chachazero out as a final test. He had managed to survive the doll's ambush, clearing the way for Eva herself to make an appearance. The vampire had gotten all dressed up for the battle too, readying herself for a thrilling confrontation. She had expected the two of them to match whits and trade barbs for a time. Then they would fight and she would destroy him, leaving his spirit broken and his body a ruined mess.

Alas, only one of her goals had come to pass. Now all that was left was to tear his mind to shreds and rip out any secrets he might possess. It was such a letdown that Eva could hardly summon any enthusiasm for it.

Which was a shame as she was usually such a fan of the activity. Few things could perk her up faster than hearing the screams of a defeated enemy as she clawed her way into their mind and looked around to her heart's content. But the young man's final words had thrown a bucket of ice cold water on that pleasant activity.

Instead of a thrilling opponent he had turned out to be a punk with an attitude who refused to know when he was beaten. To make matters worse it seemed that he had some kind of connection to the pink-haired moron Negi's girls had found in the forest. That pink-haired moron had also said something about this 'Fairy Tail' group to Negi, and had even claimed that he had been separated from his companions by a dimension traveling spell of some sort.

While disinclined to aid either Negi or the moron, Eva _had_ been listening to their discussion. To the point that she was even further irked at herself for not noticing the connection prior to this final struggle. The clues had been there from the beginning.

 _The language should have given it away._ _She had never heard anyone but the two of them speak in such a tongue, and had only been able to understand the young ice mage after she had applied a spell of translation to herself_.

 _Th_ _en there had been_ _the man's nudity_. A trait that he and the pink-haired moron seemed to share in common with one another. When combined, it was rather obvious that the two mages were connected to one another.

Her only excuse was that she had first been too enraged to think clearly. The overriding thought in her mind when she had first found him her bed had been to crush and torment the insect that had dared make his way into her inner sanctum without her permission. Afterwards she had found herself enjoying the man's torment as her minions attacked him. It had been so long since some fool had tried killing her that she had gotten carried away.

If only the fool had squawked like his moron of a friend then Eva might have connected the dots sooner. Yet up until the end the dark-haired man had proven far more competent than the pink-haired idiot, who seemed to favor the direct approach. The ice mage had quickly taken to hunting her dolls in silence rather than shouting his way to defeat.

Humming softly to herself, Eva considered her options.

She could kill the man here and move along. Doing so would satisfy her lingering feelings of anger, and it had been quite a long time since she had last taken a life. No one would ever need to know it had happened. If he really was a companion of that idiot Natsu, then this man was also from another world. Meaning that only one person on Earth even knew that he existed, much less cared about his living or dying.

Eva could not imagine a more perfect scenario in which to get away with murder. But doing so would be wasteful as well.

The young ice mage represented an opportunity to learn more about a completely separate world, one that had a vastly different way of using magic. The ice spells he had used to fight her dolls had been completely unknown to her. He appeared to use no kind of medium in his casting, nor did he ever say any sort of consistent magical phrase other than an initial cry of ' _ice make_.' If it was a magical chant of some sort then it was the shortest one Eva had ever encountered. Researching how his world had managed to create such a strange magic appealed to her.

Knowledge equaled power, and knowledge of a new magic equaled even greater power that she could use against her many enemies. Enemies like the mage who had created her, or perhaps the damn Thousand Master who had trapped her in the endless torment known as high school.

While it was possible to grasp its secrets from his corpse, it was usually far easier to have a willing assistant. Magic was such a finicky and temperamental power. Stealing knowledge of its use from someone's mind was difficult to say the least, even if the one who possessed it volunteered to have it taken. If the subject was unwilling, or dead, then the act became infinitely more difficult.

The vampire stared at the young man's barely breathing form and continued to hum to herself. Both options appealed to her and it was difficult to come to a decision.

"Such a troublesome choice," Eva mused to herself as she walked around his still body, taking care to avoid the areas soaked with his vomit and blood. "What to do, what to do."

She was stuck. Both options had equal value. Perhaps another point of view could help.

"Chachamaru," Eva called out to her servant. The robotic gynoid was never far and knew better than to wander into Eva's spotlight unless summoned. "What do you think I should do? Should I slaughter him now for his brazen trespassing? Or shall I spare his life and keep him alive as a testament to my bountiful mercy?"

Hurrying from behind a nearby broken pillar of stone, Chachamaru had her head tilted to the side. It was a posture Evangeline had come to interpret as the gynoid being deep in thought.

"Will my answer affect master's decision?"

Eva waved a hand airily. "Yes, yes. Of course it will Chachamaru. Otherwise I would not bother to ask you in the first place."

"Then I thank you my master. But as a point of clarification I thought that your mercy only applied to the Negi-kun and -"

The gynoid's words were like a hot poker touched to the vampire's skin. Eva's head whipped around to glare at the servant. That subject was off limits to everyone, with no exceptions. "Not another word Chachamaru. Or I will wind you up so hard you that you will be unable to move for days."

The robotic girl bowed her head. "My apologies, master. You have shown a whimsical response to my questions in the past, and I wished to ascertain your current mood before providing my answer."

Despite her annoyance over Chachamaru's earlier words, Eva felt her lips quirk upwards involuntarily. How cheeky of it.

"Yes, yes, I can be a spiteful bitch at times," Eva said as she killed her smile. She would not let Chachamaru know that the girl's continuing emotional development pleased the ancient vampire to such a degree. "This is known to me, and I acknowledge it as truth. Now answer my question, servant."

"I think that you should spare his life." An expected answer. The girl's reasoning would be required before Eva accepted her advice.

"Why?" Eva asked curtly. "This fool showed up naked in my bed, had the temerity to put his arm around my waist, and moments ago spit on my person. Any one of these would be a crime deserving of death."

"Yes, my master. I made my recommendation based upon two reasons. May I explain?"

Eva waved her permission.

"First, it is my belief that sparing him would go a long way towards convincing Negi-sensei that you could be trusted. Thereby increasing the likelihood that the young teacher will work hard to free you from his father's curse."

The vampire placed a considering hand to her chin. That was a good point. While she cared little for the child as human being, and only somewhat more for his ridiculous magical potential, the boy was of absolute importance to her as a potential method to free herself from his father's curse.

"A valid point, Chachamaru. What is your second?"

"That in addition to being the companion of Negi's new friend Natsu, this man's existence may offer you a new avenue of magical research. It has been my observation that master loves to find new avenues of research, and the powers that both this boy and Natsu have displayed do not match with any magical abilities loaded to my database. It could be possible that their methods are a completely new school for channeling magic. Yet they appear to be quite effective nonetheless."

"So I should spare him on the hope that I could glean some minor advantage from his pitiful abilities? That would seem to be a massive waste of my valuable time and abilities, servant."

"But that is only if one assumes that their magic is of little value in the first place. Something which is illogical to due without further evidence. Evidence which can only be gathered through observation and experimentation. Furthermore, if they do represent an entirely new school of thought for magic then it is highly probable that impressive gains can be reaped from their study, much like you have gained by my own creation."

Oho! This time Eva made no effort to hide her smile. Chachamaru truly was beginning to change if she was able to mix in an ego-stroking compliment for Eva while explaining a clinical observation. It seemed like Eva would need to start keeping a closer eye on her servant in the near future lest the vampire miss a key moment of the gynoid's development.

Still, the girl's words affirmed Eva's own thoughts. The stranger's life would be spared.

The ancient vampire waved one of her hands to undo the magic chaining the young man to the stone courtyard. She would have her dolls clean up the damage to the Resort, but healing his body would be more troublesome. She was no good with healing spells and none of her minions were good at them either. She would probably have to use some of her few potions to do the job.

Eh, it was just something that she could add to the Boya's tab. Having him further in her debt would not be a terrible thing.

She turned to face her robotic servant and gave the girl a curt nod. "Very well Chachamaru. You do raise two good points. I _am_ happy when I have a new toy with which to entertain myself, even if the toy is somewhat broken and in need of repair, and using this opportunity to increase the boya's trust in me at the same time _is_ a golden opportunity."

Eva looked down the young man's blood body as she spoke. She really had done a number on him. She would have to get the potions in him soon before he bled out on her. "Maybe I'll learn something by putting him back together again."

The decision made, Eva motioned for Chachamaru to take the boy's body and leave. An air spell cast upon his body made the man rise from the ground, enabling the robotic girl to handle the boy without causing accidental damage.

As she watched them depart Eva felt a twisting series of emotions rise up within her chest. One part annoyance at his continued existence, two parts wistfulness at not having ripped his memories out of his skull, and three parts curiosity for his strange magic.

Still, she knew how to control herself. There would be other opportunities in which to loose her vengeful nature upon him in the future. In the meantime, the positive benefit of allowing the strange man to live might outweigh her annoyance over his continued existence.

Eva turned to stare at the giant geyser of ice the man had created to defeat Chachazero. The form was quite raw and hurried, but it was surprisingly strong in spite of its rushed construction. Eva considered herself to be the foremost expert on ice magic in the world and even she was impressed with it. The young man had definite potential.

The vampire studied it for a moment longer before she snapped her fingers, casting a silent spell to undo the young man's pillar of ice magic. It was nice, but she needed to free Chachazero from its grasp.

Yet the spell resisted her efforts to dispel it, stubbornly remaining present. Eva frowned as she stared at it. How had that happened? She snapped her fingers once again and put more power into the dispel.

The pillar of ice disappeared with a flash of light and a pop of displaced air, leaving Chachazero to stumble around in a daze as the doll screamed a blood-thirsty war cry.

"Rend and tear your limbs, bleed your soul until you die." Eva dodged a swipe of the blade and a followup thrust as the doll proceeded to swing the cleaver around in wild motions. "Blood for the blood god, and the blood god's bile for Chachazero! Hahahahahaha!"

Eva studied her creation for a moment before tuning it out. The doll was lost in a beserker's haze and it would be too annoying to bring her out of it. There was something more important on the vampire's mind.

The young mage's spell composition had resisted her spell. The question was, how? Eva gazed around until she had located another another one of the many creations which littered her resort. Upon spotting it, she tried to dispel it once more with minimal effort.

The man's strange ice magic again resisted her attempt to dispel it.

Now _that_ was interesting. Nearly as interesting as his ability to cast magic with such a short chant.

Sure the young man's spell-work may have been impressive for his age, but no spell cast by a person so far below her own sorcery level should have been able to resist even her slightest of efforts to dispel it. It would take something casually cast by the Thousand Master, or that thrice damned Albireo, to resist her efforts to the same degree of that pillar of ice.

Moving to another pillar elsewhere in the Resort that was still intact, Eva looked at the spell's construction. She delved past the outer structure and into the spell's inner matrix.

What she found inside of it made no sense.

There were no bound spirits or rune structures within its depths. Nor was there aid from any sort of outer dimensional being, something which always left behind a rather distinct aura. It was a construct the man had made purely from his own will, with no other outside force involved beyond supplying the initial power to create the spell. It was self-sustaining and appeared to be fully functional, capable of lasting an indeterminate time.

That wasn't how magic worked! Not in the slightest!

Magic may be finicky, but it did have its rules. In order to cast spells, you had to have some sort of framework involved. Whether that framework was done through elemental spirits, or the mathematical application of runic structures, or by beseeching some Eldritch being was a matter of choice. But no matter how one looked at it, one had to use something like that in order to so much as _use_ magic.

Yet here she was, staring at a spell matrix which required none of them in full defiance of known magical knowledge.

Her curiosity fully piqued, Eva pursed her lips together and honed her senses to their limits as she continued to scan the boy's spell. What she found next made her eyes go wide.

The spell contained ki in its composition. Ki!

Her head suddenly awhirl with possibilities, Eva stepped back from the young man's icy creation. This young man had done something impossible, something no one had ever done before. Combining magic with ki was an _extremely_ rare gift of which only Takamichi Takahata was a current master. But Takamichi's _K_ _anka_ style was composed of pure energy and possessed no elemental affinity. It was unsuited for anything outside of combat or demolition by its very nature.

But the power used by this man from another world had an aspect. An _i_ _ce_ aspect, once which could be formed freely by the man's own will.

Eva felt a chill run down her back as she considered the possibilities of this strange magic. If a user of it were to gain enough experience to rise to her level, then it was possible that their power might eclipse her own. The advantage of being completely unrestricted in how one formed magic was too great. Those who relied on the traditional forms of magic would be hobbled and restricted by their power, whereas a user of this new magic would be like an Eagle soaring in the sky.

Conversely, if someone of her level was able to incorporate ki into their own power, then their abilities would have an exponential increase.

The thought of it brought a joyful gleam to her eyes. If she could unlock the secret of this new magic, then she might finally reach a level of strength that she could rip the Thousand Master's spell apart on her own. It would crumble before her power like a wall of paper before a mountain flood.

No, that was would be selling it too short. With ki and magic unified with her spells and power, she might even be able to hunt down the one who had created her and _end_ him.

Oh how that thought pleased her. Pleased her to the point where the vampire threw back her head and laughed at the top of her lungs.

"I will have your secrets, little Fairy," Eva said to herself as her mirth slowly started to subside. "One way or another, I _will_ have them. And I will never be denied ever again."

With a surge of magic released from her body, Eva forcibly dispelled every one of the young man's icy creations throughout the Resort. Dolls fell from the sky and tumbled across the ground in a jumble of limbs as their frozen prisons disappeared.

The vampire mage played with one of the straps on her dress as she made her way through the rubble strewn field. These new revelations would require her to immediately locate the boya so she could learn if he knew Takamichi's current location. There was no way in hell that Eva would give the bespectacled man the information for free, but it would be interesting to learn if Nagi's former companion reached the same conclusions concerning this new form of magic.

Another sigh escaped her lips, this one in annoyance. If she was to speak with the boy, then she would need to change her clothes.

This modern world with all of its silly morals were terribly inconvenient at times. Being unable to move around in her natural form while wearing a sultry dress was utterly ridiculous.

"Fear the almighty god of dolls! I shall devour your toes and drink of your eyes. None shall be spared from my Jacuzzi boiled wrath. All your bases shall belong to us!"

Eva blasted the doll with a brief shock of lighting. Enough was enough. "Chachazero, shut up and get started fixing things. Also, assign some of your sisters to look over the intruder so that Chachamaru may return to the cabin ahead of my arrival. And fetch me a school uniform while you are at it. I have a trip to make after we get this place put back in order."

* * *

Several hours later saw Eva brushing some dust off of her uniform as she materialized outside of her resort. She immediately frowned to herself as a cascade of magical alarms washed over her. Someone had tripped her spells and was still located on the premises. She could sense three uninvited individuals around her home, and two of them were not negligible in terms of strength.

A sudden crash and bang from above caused her to hasten her steps. Someone whose magic she didn't recognize had just broken down her front door. Eva hissed in displeasure as she felt Chachamaru move to engage the intruder.

Knowing her recent run of terrible luck, this new annoyance would be the flamebrained moron she had met in Kyoto. The vampire had just finished dealing with one idiot from another world. Why not make it two in close succession? This would be just one more painful trial to lay at the Thousand Master's feet, as it had started the moment she met that idiotic man.

Climbing the stairs as quickly as her little legs would allow, the vampire burst into her living room with a spell ready to cast from her lips. What she saw ended up freezing her from shock.

Her precious sanctuary was in ruins!

The priceless table given to her by Vlad Tepes? Ruined. The two beautiful clay vases she had obtained while on a trip to Argentina? Smashed to pieces. The painting she had stolen on a whim from the Queen of England? Hanging from a chair, its ancient vellum torn to shreds.

A blurred object shot past the vampire's eyes as she stood frozen in horror, hitting the Boya directly on his forehead. The four hundred year old glass lamp blew apart in a hail of shattered fragments upon impact. Negi went down without a sound, his tiny body crumpled upon the floor like that of a small child who had fallen asleep.

Eva felt a low growl build deep within her small body. The only two places in Mahora she could call her own, where she could relax and get away from the endless torment forced upon her by the Thousand Master, had just been ruined.

It had been centuries since anyone had dared to destroy an item belonging to her. It would be _millennia_ before anyone ever tried again. Because whoever had done this to her home would suffer a fate worse than death. She would make sure of it with her own two hands.

"Haha! Negi, you need to watch out for flying objects better" yelled the voice belonging to the pink-haired idiot whose name was Natsu. "Otherwise you'll be taken out right at the beginning of every good brawl you come across. 'Cause this is where the fun begins!"

As the idiotic moron yelled in glee, Eva watched as he and Chachamaru traded vicious body blows with one another in the middle of the adjoining room. The fiery moron had blazed a trail of destruction through her house within moments of entering, and he looked completely unfazed by the devastation he had wreaked upon her home.

Dodging a one-two punch combination Chachamaru fired at his midriff, Natsu used his left hand to shoot a small ball of flame into the robot's face to throw her off-balance. Her sensors blinded, Chachamaru immediately slammed her elbow into his face. The young man directed it to the side with one of his hands and quickly followed it up with a knife-like strike into Chachamaru's side.

Eva blinked as she watched. Going toe-to-toe with Chachamaru wasn't something your average mage could accomplish. The man might be an idiot, but as luck would have it he appeared to be cast in the same mold as the Thousand Master and Jack Rakan. A mere pretender compared to those great idiots of the world, but apparently one with aims to join their ranks at the peak of powerful morons. That thought was enough to freeze Eva in horror as her servant tried to protect Eva's home.

The gynoid sent a kick at his midriff only for the moron to grab hold of her leg and fling her to the floor. He then jumped onto Chachamaru's back and tried to place her into a full body lock. The man's style was impressively aggressive.

However, instead of trapping his opponent all Natsu got was a raised knee slammed into his groin. Chachamaru had managed to roll onto her side and hit him just when he was vulnerable. The robotic girl then proceeded to grab one of his arms with both hands and use it to slam _him_ into the ground before he could rise to his feet.

"Negi-sensei, I've got his arm. Come quickly before he manages to –" Chachamaru's yell cut off midway. Natsu had wrenched his arm out of her grip and shoved his other elbow into her face as he did, shutting her mouth with a metallic click.

"Got you Chachamaru!" The pink-haired fire breather said as he smirked at his android opponent. "Ya still got more in the tank? 'Cause I'm all fired up right now and ready for round two."

 _Bam!_

With no preamble or forewarning, Chachamaru activated the rockets placed inside of her left arm. The rocket fist closed the distance between the android and the idiot faster than he could react, smashing into his jaw with what sounded like bone crushing force. His head snapped backwards as his feet left the ground and he fell onto the remnants of Eva's antique table. Seeing yet another precious item break in front her eyes was enough to goad her to action.

"That is _enough_ , you giant moron," Eva hissed as she finally recovered from her horrified paralysis.

Taking a spool of thin metallic wire from within her school uniform, Eva wrapped a portion of it around the fingers of her right hand. The ancient vampire then cast the other end of it around both of Natsu's legs and used it to jerk the pink-haired idiot's feet out from under his body. The man tumbled back to the floor with a crash.

Eva thanked her highly developed sense of paranoia for thinking to include the wires into her daily outfit. The things came in handy when her body was weak as a newborn kitten and unable to blast her opponents to shreds with mountains of ice.

For good measure, she wrapped six more loops of wires around her fingers before she began to approach Natsu's position. She cast two of them around his upper body, trapping the man's arms tight against his midriff. The others she kept on standby just in case the moron had any tricks up his sleeve.

"You've blown up half of my house and now owe me a Hell Ticket for all of the damage you've caused," the vampire said grimly as she moved closer. Her voice, so filled with icy rage, could have frozen the blood of an arctic fish. "Anymore damage to my residence and I will no be satisfied with just a piece of your hide. Oh no, I will make you watch as I skin you alive and mount your head on my wall as a warning to fools everywhere."

She kicked him with a slim foot to drive her point home. "Am I understood?"

From his place on the floor, Natsu muttered something into the wooden floorboards. It seemed to be a response of some sort but she could not hear it. How annoying. Had his parents or seniors not taught him to speak up when his life was in peril?

Cautious, she stepped closer in order to hear his words.

Not cautiously enough, however, as Natsu raised his head from the floor and fired a blast of fire at her unsuspecting face straight out of his mouth.

" _Ah!_ " Eva yelled in surprise. The vampire stumbled backward, closing her eyes to protect them from the fireball coming towards her face. She on her backside with a thump. "Ow ow ow!"

"Just because you got my arms and legs, it doesn't mean that I'm out of the fight. Ha ha ha! That'll show you better than to underestimate a mage of Fairy Tail." Natsu crowed from his position on the floor. The man's cocky voice made Eva seethe in rage as she resisted the urge to rub her injured rear.

Eva's face flushed as she stood, holding her hands firmly to her sides and away from her sore bottom. She would show this upstart mage a thing or two about making fun of her. With a quick look at Chachamaru, Eva indicated her intentions.

More wires snaked out from the vampires fingertips and gathered around his unsuspecting body. To the side, Chachamaru prepared to launch an attack on her master's command.

For some reason, though, Natsu did not make a single move to protect himself. No, instead it seemed as if his laughter was only growing strong. Why? Had Chachamaru's rocket punch damaged something in the young fool's head?

"Wa ha ha ha ha!" Natsu cried out as tears began to stream down his face. "Look at your hair – it's all fizzy! Wa ha ha ha ha ha!"

For the second time in five minutes, Eva was frozen in horrified shock. Slim hands rose to her perfectly straight hair. The hair that she took great care in maintaining, that she treasured more than any other physical feature she possessed. Along with her eyes, it was the one thing which stayed the same no matter what form she took, no matter what how old or young the vampire appeared to be to those around her.

Her searching hands felt a mass of unruly curls. A mass of unruly and badly _singed_ curs.

There were two things Eva now knew for sure about these mages from another world. That they possessed a strange magic which could forever alter the history of the world. And that they were both complete and utter morons.

A shriek of inarticulate rage tore from her throat as the ancient vampire flung herself at Natsu's laughing face.

 **END**

 **A/N:** This is not my best chapter but I'm at least happy with where I was able to get it. It came a long way from where it was in the old fic, and it _was_ a necessary one to set things up for the future. Hopefully it entertained you and keeps you satisfied before the next update comes along on Monday. I attempted to set the tone for future interactions between Natsu and Eva as well.

And is anyone else having these 504 errors with the website? It works fine on my mobile devices, but when I go to upload my chapters from my PC (or try to update my profile) the website just freaks out. It's a royal pain.

Also, check out these numbers: 6 chapters, 1000+ views on the fic, 30 follows, 20 favorites, and 24 reviews at the time of posting this chapter. Not bad for a young fic not in HP, Naruto, or any C2's. More reviews (especially flames and critiques) definitely help, so if you are reading this and something pops into your head, then leave a comment or five.

Poll is still up as well. Go and vote!

On to my comments!

 _Chachazero:_ I loved the doll's characterization back in the original manga and was disappointed that we never got to see her unleashed. Hopefully I got her bizarre and blood-thirsty nature down pat.

 _Eva and the Fairies:_ remember what I said back in chapter 3 about establishing the hierarchy of power between the FT and Negima cast? This is it. Eva is the steel door that both Natsu and Gray, with their limited knowledge and infinite wisdom, have decided to kick to see if it really is all that tough. Although in his defense Gray did it more by accident whereas Natsu is going to do it knowing full well what might happen. Things didn't go too well for Gray and Natsu (who is far stronger than the ice mage at this point thanks to the lightning dragon slayer magic he got from Laxus) is eventually going piss her off enough for fireworks to fly.

Expect a kickass fight between the two because that will be a throw down between a dragon-slayer and a centuries old vampire. If I didn't try to make it badass then I'd be screwing up both of the characters. Each one of them will get a chance to show off their stuff, _and_ there will be a clear winner.

I also have something fun planned for when the ladies of FT meet Eva. Muwahahahahaha!

And no. It will not be perverted or Ecchi.

Or possibly won't.

Or maybe it will will be for one of them but not the other two. Or maybe it will be the other way around.

Meh. You'll just have to see when we get there.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Uninvited Guests_ by Moczo. Advance Warning: This is a pure crack fic. It is amazing, hilarious, and completely off the wall as it pokes fun at Bleach and anime tropes with every chapter. Go into it expecting to laugh yourself silly and you will enjoy yourself.

Until next time,

Elsil


	8. Reunited

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter** **8**

 **Reunited**

Gray groaned as he slowly fought his way back to consciousness. He was in a soft but unfamiliar bed, which meant that he was probably in the guild's dorms. Natsu and the others, with the sole exception of Lucy, preferred to camp whenever they were out on a mission. The only times Gray was in a bed were when someone, like Loki, treated them or when they were back at the guild in Magnolia.

The ice user's body certainly ached enough to be in Magnolia. His sleep hazy mind was unable to clearly recall the events of the night before, which probably meant that Natsu and Elfman must have really gotten him good if someone had taken him to the dorms to sleep things off.

Another groan came as Gray realized he wasn't wearing any underwear. He could only feel some sort of odd piece of cloth tied onto his left wrist and his ever present silver necklace around his neck. The charm definitely did not belong to him, and its mere presence raised some serious concerns.

While he lay sleeping, Juvia could have stolen his underwear sometime in the night and slapped some silly love bracelet as a twisted form of recompense. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

 _He really did_ _need to set her straight_ _one of these days._ She was cute, and he _did_ like the attention, but he _was_ _not a doll to be dressed and undressed at her convenience._ _He was_ _a grown man, dammit, and_ _his_ _body is my own!_ _Not some toy for her to use and drool over at her convenience._

 _A surge of pain rain through Gray's head,_ _scattering his thoughts_ _._ _He_ _raised_ _his right_ _hand to_ _it, hoping to stop the pounding_ _. Why had that pain suddenly appeared?_ _It had only happened after he had thought of dolls._ _Why did thinking of dressing and of dolls make hi_ _s heart start to…_

 _"Argh!" Gray cried aloud_ _as he rocketed upright_ _._ Memories of the past few days returned in a rush, and the sleepy feeling he had just been feeling evaporated in an instant as adrenaline surged through his body. The sheets feel off of his waist as he grabbed sides of the bed with shaking hands, forcing both eyes shut as he moved.

Then a high pitched voice came from his right that caused his already surging adrenaline to triple in concentration. "No, no, no. Stupid pervert needs to stay still, Master said. The healing process is not yet finished and stupid pervert is no longer allowed to die for now."

It was the voice of the doll who had sliced him across his side. The one which had wielded a giant meat cleaver as it attempted to slash him bit from bit. Gray brought his hands together in preparation of forming a spell and turned his full body to face the tiny monstrosity. Whoever had placed him in this bed had made a mistake in leaving him able to use magic.

Then his plans for revenge came to an abrupt halt as he felt a sharp point of metal dig into his throat. The damn doll was standing on the side of his bed, currently pressing the tip of its over-sized cleaver against his jugular with a wild smile plastered on its childlike face.

"But if stupid pervert really wants to die and tries to resist too much, then Master gave Chachazero permission to make him feel better by stabbing his throat and starting the healing process over again." The doll said in its eerily high-pitched voice. "So. Ya feeling lucky, _punk_? _Are ya_?"

Considering the past few days he had just endured and his life in general, then no, Gray was definitely not feeling lucky. Not in the slightest. And although he would ordinarily fight tooth and nail before admitting that to an enemy, this was no time for pride. Not unless he wanted the doll to make good on its threats, and Gray was not confident in being able to dodge its attacks when the thing already had its blade lying on his neck.

Gray slowly shook his head and dropped his hands.

The doll waggled the cleaver in front of Grat's face and sighed in disappointment. "Aw, why'd you have to go and be a good little doggy? I wanted to stab you and make more red liquid gush out. Everyone knows that that's the best part of being a nurse! All of the other stuff just isn't any fun unless you start foaming at the mouth." The thing's sigh deepened before suddenly turning back into a cheery tone. "Eh, oh well. Maybe I can slip a cyanide pill into your food later just to see what happens. In the meantime just lie back down and stay still for awhile. Master told me to clean your room since you have a guest coming along."

The doll drew back the knife and hopped off of the bed. Placing the weapon by the door it then picked up a nearby brush and dust pan and proceeded to starting cleaning.

Gray could feel his mind starting to shatter as he sat in bead, trying to process what the hell had just happened to him. What sort of god-forsaken place had Warrod's spell sent him? And why wasn't Natsu the one stuck here instead, dammit! If anyone deserved to be punished it was the dragon-slayer!

Keeping a wary eye on the bipolar doll as it moved around the room, Gray thought back to the last thing he could remember before he had blacked out. He tried to reign in his climbing levels of adrenaline, as letting it go now would only tire him out if he actually needed to fight later on. If the thing wasn't there to kill him then the smart idea was to play along with it for the time being. Gray had already tried to fight his way out of the grasp of its master before and had failed miserably. This time he would need to use his head to escape.

The doll's master had had him dead to rights but had spared his life. Why? Her ambush had gone off without a hitch and he had been completely unable to resist her. No, that was putting it too lightly. Trying to resist her had been like trying to resist Erza during one of the redheaded woman's infamous rages. A fruitless endeavor which only saw Gray beaten within an inch of his life no matter how hard he tried to resist.

The little girl had been patient, overwhelming, and utterly ruthless in tormenting him with her minions. Then she had ambushed him, beat him into the ground, and laughed at his struggles. Every indication had been that she was going to kill him on the spot.

Yet not only had he awoken – and in nearly perfect physical health if his senses did not deceive him – but one of her creations, a sadistic monster that had carved into his side like a butcher cut into meat, was cleaning out his sickroom... for a guest?

Things did not add up. No one changed their mind so drastically without a reason, and going from wanting him dead to healing his wounds definitely qualified as a drastic change. Gray needed to know why the situation had changed or else he might not make it out of this crazy place without losing his mind.

He turned his attention to the crazy doll currently cleaning his room. The thing was clearly insane – and possibly in possession of an I.Q. belonging to that of a child – but it was also a possible source of information. Information which could serve as a starting point to figuring things out. The question was how to go about obtaining it.

Gray eyed the monstrosity with a way eye and considered his options. Shrugging his shoulders and giving a rough cough to clear his throat, he tried to start up a conversation with the abomination.

"So what's the deal pipsqueak," Gray muttered darkly. He might need information from the infernal creation, but that did not mean that he was going to butter up to it. "Feel like healing me up before doing round two? Is that how things are gonna go down around here?"

"Ooh, what a great idea! It's been ages since master did that to someone. Would you like to volunteer for that?" The malicious creature stopped its sweeping to give him a wide eyed, hopeful stare.

Gray cocked a single eyebrow and stared at it flatly. "No."

"Aw. And here you got my hopes up, stupid pervert. You're such a stupid meanie. I really hope that master lets me kill you before you die from old age."

The ice user barked out a laugh at that comment. "And I hope that I get another chance to freeze you solid. Right now the score between us is up in my favor, creature. Or did you forget that you lost to me?"

"Nope. You beat me fair and square. But Chachazero is just a minion. Master used me and my sisters to beat stupid pervert nearly to death. Hahahaha. Stupid pervert must be really stupid if he already forgot about that.

"Uh huh. Sure that sounds great, but anyone who hides behind an army of dolls has got to be more than a little scared of the world around them. If your master really is all that tough then she wouldn't have needed you guys to tire me out. It's really kind of sad that she's so weak. It's almost like she got cold feet or something when I told her that I was a part of Fairy Tail."

Gray's words landed on the doll like a lightning bolt hitting Natsu. The thing's entire body went rigid, and its too large head started to swivel around on its neck to face the ice-user. Bingo! Now he was making some progress.

"Nope, I don't think so," it said flatly, "murder doesn't give her cold feet; just the winter and meetings with certain members of Ala Rubra. Same goes for being scared. But this Fairy Tail thing sounds pretty. Is it something I can stab? Is it? Is it?"

Gray blinked at the doll's jumble of strange words. Was its first impulse _really_ to think of stabbing something? "No. It's a wizard guild."

The doll stared blankly at his face. Maybe more explanation was required? "A guild," he said again, this time more slowly as he took care to enunciate his words. "You know what the word means, right? It's an association where like minded people, who are generally mages, gather for social and economic betterment. And Fairy Tail is the best wizard guild there is."

It continued to stare blankly at him. "So... can I kill it? Does it bleed if you cut it with a knife?"

Gray threw his pillow at the thing's face. This was just getting ridiculous. "No!" he yelled at the stupid creature. "It's a special group of people who can use magic that mages and non-mages alike contact for jobs and assignments. Get it now, you dunce?"

The doll stopped his thrown pillow with one tiny hand and shook its head with an annoying ' _tsk_ '. "Oh, you mean those old things still exist? I thought they ended when magic users created that whole separate world thingamajig, and then later when this world's mages started going over to join them a couple centuries back. Seriously, who'd a thunk that they were still around. How have you lot not been turned into ermines by now?"

Silence fell between them as a terrible, hollow feeling began to grow in the pit of Gray's stomach. The pain in his head started to increase as well.

The creature's words made no sense. They _couldn't_ make sense.

It didn't know about Fairy Tail? Magic guilds were gone? There was a separate world for magic users? People could be turned into _ermines_?

Gray's mind blazed at a million miles an hour as he reviewed everything he had learned since arriving at this strange place. Possibilities were viewed and discarded as he began to assimilate and piece the various bits of information into the picture of a horrible puzzle.

Maybe Warrod's spell had really messed up and tossed them so far into the future that Fairy Tail had been forgotten. Mavis' spell had cost the guild seven long years and that had only been when a dragon had attacked. Zeref's magic could have made an already bad aftereffect even worse. For all Gray knew everyone who had been present at the hot springs could be scattered across both time _and_ space.

But no, he did not know that for certain. He needed to examine the situation logically. Panicking would only cause his still exhausted body to pass out. If the doll was telling the truth, then all he really knew was that he was somewhere or sometime where they did not know of Fairy Tail and where wizard guilds no longer existed. Maybe the blasted thing was lying, and this was some kind of trick to mess with his head.

Gray tried to add in other nuggets of information he had uncovered. The dolls had spoken some sort of strange language when he had first encountered them, a fact that had been corroborated in his short interaction with their master. But after a while Gray had been able to understand them and the initial issue had fallen from his attention.

It was possible to do that with some forms of magic. It would probably be a cinch for a powerful mage like the little girl. The language issue also added credence to Gray being in a different time or place from the one he knew.

But something else the little doll had said bothered him. Creating a separate world for magic users? That was an impossible feat. No mage could do something like that. Not even Zeref. Creating pseudo worlds was possible with certain types of spatial magics, but creating an entirely new world? Something like that was impossible and went against the magic's fundamental laws as Gray understood them.

That thought caused his eyes to widen. Gray had forgotten to ask a very important, and very basic, question. A question which, considering a previous experience of his, might actually be relevant to his current situation.

With a shaking voice, Gray gave voice to the question whose possible answer he most feared. "So, out of curiosity, where in Earthland are we? Is this Fiore?"

The doll's chirped reply sounded in his head like a deathknell. "Nope. Never even heard of it. Welcome to Mahora Academy, Japan, you ugly foreigner piece of shit."

Gray started panting, his breaths coming in heaving gasps as things began to add up. Not knowing Fairy Tail. The odd language the dolls had spoken. The girl's insanely powerful ice magic and army of dolls.

There was only one explanation. He was once again trapped in a world far away from the one he had known. Separated from his friends and loved ones. And he had no idea where he needed to begin to make his way back home.

As he sat in the bed trying to wrap his brain around that terrible idea, the door to his small opened with a slam. It impacted against the nearby wall with enough force to shake the bed. A pink blur shot through it. Shortly followed by a booming, idiotic voice which Gray had never before found comforting but was now beyond thankful to hear.

"Oh thank you Igneel, thank you! I'm not alone after all."

The person's piercing voice filled Gray's ears as a pair of arms started squeezing the air out of his lungs. The momentary feeling of comfort was gone, and Gray found himself instantly irritated.

Yep. This could only be Natsu.

"It's only stupid Gray, and I may wish Happy, or Lucy, or Wendy, or Erza, or Carla, or even Warrod were here instead, but at least I'm not alone!"

Gray felt his right eye twitch as he tried to pull air back into his lungs. Natsu had just named every single other person who had been at the hot springs other than him. The pink-haired bastard preferred Warrod over Gray. Warrod! The senile bastard with the terrible sense of humor who was probably responsible for them being stuck in this godforsaken reality in the first place!

"Gray! Stop being a lazy bum and get your dumb ass up and help me out already, or I swear that I'll punch you in the –" A preemptive punch to Natsu's face shut the man up and sent him flying to the floor.

"Goddammit Natsu. Shut up, stop trying to squeeze me to death and let me speak already!" Gray yelled at his obnoxious guild-mate. The ice mage glared at the dazed dragon-slayer lying on the floor. "You don't fling people around in bed when they're just recovering from being beat just short of death, moron. Show a shred of decency for once or I'll kick your ass so hard even Wendy won't be able to put it back to normal!"

Natsu lifted his head and glared up at Gray from the floor. Then he sniggered and pointed at Gray's midriff. "Ha! Maybe you should put some clothes on before telling someone else to be decent."

For a moment Gray froze in that familiar feeling whenever someone pointed out that he had undressed. Then he flung himself off of his bed and on top of the fallen dragon slayer, lack of clothes be dammed. Gray had been hunted by blood-thirsty dolls for two days, beaten unconscious by a sadistic little girl, and was now apparently trapped in a strange land with only Natsu for company. The dragon-slayer's remarks were the final straw to Gray's tattered patience.

" _Argh!_ " he yelled out as he flung punch after punch into the other man's body. _"_ This. Is. For. Every. Stupid. Thing. You. Ever. Did!" Natsu tried to fight back, but Gray kept breaking through the other man's blocks and misdirecting the few punches which came his way. "And. For. Every. Damn. Doll. That. Made. Me. Bleed!"

Gray smelled a hint of sulfur and saw Natsu's throat begin to bulge. _Oh no, he w_ _ould not_ _be pulling that trick off_ _this time._ Faster than Natsu could form and release his fireball, Gray brought his hands together and cast his own spell.

" _Ice Make: Hammer!_ "

Several dozen hits and multiple cries of agony later, Natsu lay quiet as Gray staggered to his feet and stared down at him triumphantly. "That's what you get for messing with me, bastard."

A pleasant feeling of triumph flowed through him as he stared down at the other man's unmoving body. It was almost as much fun beating him in a brawl now as it was when they were kids. Then Gray paused as he recalled his current situation. Oh dangit. What if Natsu had been there to rescue him? Could Gray have just ruined his friend's rescue attempt?

"Well, shit," Gray muttered to himself. He had done a pretty thorough job on Natsu. The dragon-slayer would probably be out of things for at least the next five minutes. "Now what do I do?"

"I'd recommend getting dressed as a start," spoke a sharply sweet voice spoke from his left. "Then you can follow me for a discussion that will be taking place with some of my other guests, and your presence is non-negotiable."

Adrenaline shooting through the roof once more, Gray swiveled his eyes to look at the source of the voice. Sure enough, standing in his doorway as brazen as could be was the little girl who had thrown an entire iceberg at him. Great. Now things had really gone downhill.

Ready for trouble, Gray assumed his casting stance and stood over Natsu's body protectively. Pounding Natsu with a hammer until he blacked out was a fun way to pass the time. Letting an enemy kill the man was entirely different. Even if Gray's chances of stopping the enemy were close to nonexistent.

The little girl watched him move with a clear look of disdain. She gave a haughty sniff and strode into the room with a cocky swagger to her hips, motioning for the demented doll to leave the room with an airily wave of her hand.

Her sultry black dress from their battle was gone, replaced by some kind of uniform with rips and patches where it had been recently burned. As Gray looked her over he saw all of the usual telltale signs of someone who had gotten into a fight with Natsu. The singed hair and smell of sulfur were always a dead giveaway.

Gray mentally kicked himself for knocking Natsu out cold. Now it really was looking like the pink-haired idiot had fought the girl on his way to break Gray out of this place.

The sound of a closing door caused Gray to look at the entrance to his small room. Another one of the puppets, one that appeared more dangerous than any of the others Gray had fought, had just entered and closed the door behind it. More metallic, and cast in the shape of a teenage girl instead of a child's plaything, the newest abomination moved with a deadly grace to its footsteps. Its clothes and body also showed the signs of an encounter with Natsu, making the possibility that he was here on a rescue mission even higher.

Gray frowned as he turned his gaze back the little girl while watching it from the corner of his eyes. He did not know if he could take on the girl, let alone them both of them at once, but he would be dammed if he gave up before a fight even broke out. The other monstrosity had said that he was being healed, but until Gray could verify that it was not for some ulterior purpose he would treat the current situation as some kind of trap. It would not be the first time that one of their enemies had done something like this to them as part of some more elaborate plan.

"What's your angle, puppet girl?" Gray baited. If he could push her buttons, then there was a chance she might let her guard slip and create an opportunity for him to grab Natsu and escape. "Did Natsu kick your ass before making it to me? Or did you just feel like going for round two?"

Up close the girl didn't look any older than ten years. But appearances could be deceiving in the world of magic and Gray knew better than to underestimate her. The girl's magic was the real deal, while those eyes of hers did not belong to any child he had ever met.

No, Gray considered as he locked stares with her, those eyes did not belong to any ten-year old. They were the eyes of someone who had killed before, and who was now trying to decide whether they would kill again.

At their feet, Natsu began to stir. The man's ridiculous durability to ice attacks was finally useful for a change. Gray just needed to stall for time while the dragon-slayer roused himself. To do that he would need to keep the girl talking and focused on him.

"So, kiddo, did my warning come true?" Gray taunted, knowing the absurdity of his words before they even left his lips, She had already ignored his first taunts with a nonchalant gaze at him, but maybe he could also get her to underestimate his intelligence by placing him in the same box as Natsu. "Maybe my warning about Fairy Tail gave you get cold feet when it came time to kill me. Seeing as how you're looking a little toasty at the moment, Natsu probably kicked your ass before coming to find me."

A dark look crossed the girl's features. Gray knew that he was close to provoking her as soon as he saw it.

A hint of malice crept into the girl's voice as she replied. "Cold feet? And me, getting defeated by the fool lying before you? You don't know how wrong you are on both counts, _little_ ice mage. You are no longer my prey and hardly were in the first place. Two facts for which you should be eternally thankful."

The girl tucked a stray lock of hair behind her right ear as she moved closer. Her eyes flickered lazily between Gray and the prone body at his feet. "Our little fight from before was merely a minor incident. One that I have corrected by healing your body – through no small expense to myself – _and_ by providing you with the means to understand my speech via the charm attached to your wrist." Sitting down on the side of the bed, the little girl crossed her slim arms over her chest before continuing to speak. "Now stand down thank me for my generous grace before I take your bait and reduce your shaking body to dust. I may be immortal, but my patience is not unlimited."

"Say I believe you," Gray said slowly as he stared at her narrowed eyes. "And that you and I are not actually enemies, despite the fact that your dolls hunted me for two days, tried to kill me, and despite you yourself beating me unconscious and nearly killing me. Tell me this: why do you have Natsu's burn marks all over your uniform?"

Her eyes flashed such an intense shade of red that Gray almost froze her on the spot. "The reason why I am burned all over, _little_ ice mage, is because your _fool_ of a companion had the temerity to pick a fight with me in my own home just like you did."

For a moment Gray could have sworn that her hair formed a golden halo of power behind her head as she hissed her reply. Maybe he should have asked a different question. But he was given no time to reply as she continued to speak.

"On my way to fetch this… this _idiot_ and a few acquaintances of my own so that they could meet you, the pink-haired moron at your feet blew down the door to my home and assaulted my servant." The girl bit every word out as though hoping to draw blood. "Furthermore, when my servant and I tried to restrain him, he then started a brawl which leveled half of my house and destroyed over a dozen pieces of my personal collection. Pieces which I had spent _centuries_ collecting."

The hair on the back of Gray's neck to stand up. He had misheard her, right? She had only been kidding about being immortal before, right? Sure he knew not to underestimate someone who looked young, like Wendy, but the girl in front of him could not be centuries old. It was impossible.

"Centuries?" He muttered as he looked closer at the girl. "But you look like you're only –" he cut off his words as the girl threw back her head and laughed.

"Oh no, my poor _little_ ice mage. I did not misspeak in the slightest. I am far older than I seem." The girl gave him a look which no little girl should ever have on their face. Gray instinctively recoiled from it before managing to regain control of his body. Her look had just sent his danger instincts screaming, and Gray knew better than to ignore them. He had pushed one hell of a button by accident, and the worst thing he could possibly do in this situation would be to show any sign of weakness.

"You see, mortal, I am a vampire. I don't know if you have them in your world – and yes, I am aware that both you and your friend are not from this world – but I have lived for centuries in this one. The inhabitants of this world call me the Dollmaster, Queen of the Night, Apostle of Destruction, or the Dark Evangel. There is no one in either the mundane or magical worlds with a higher bounty on their head than I. And none who have sought to claim the bounty have lived to tell the tale."

She hopped off of the bed as she spoke, circling Gray's position until she came to stand next to the two Fairies.

"Yet this impudent fool not only destroyed my home and assaulted my servant," she said darkly. "He then had the utter gall to repeat the same with myself. And unlike your ignorant self he did so in full knowledge of who I am Me! Evangline A.K. McDowell! And as such, _little_ ice mage, he owes me a great debt. One that I intend to collect at the earliest convenience."

A slim hand reached out as she crouched by Natsu. It fluttered over Natsu's aorta with deadly grace. Gray almost reacted to it, instinctively readying himself to cast a spell to forcibly separate her from Natsu's unconscious form. He held himself back with a force of will, hoping that the girl was only trying to prove a point.

The groaning fire mage shifted slightly at her touch, seeming to sense a threat even in his blacked out state. The girl's fingers slowly traced a vein in his neck, fluttering lightly as she spoke.

"Oh yes, you little bastard," she purred darkly as a rime of frost spread across the floor from her feet. "I _will_ collect on what you owe. You can count on it."

Gray watched the girl's every movement as she stood over Natsu. Gears were continually turning in Gray's head as she spoke. Assumptions and hypothesis were examined and discarded as he thought over every word and gesture she had made since coming into the room.

While antagonistic and possibly threatening to Natsu, there was nothing immediately hostile in either her words or her actions. Actually, her story about Natsu blasting into her home and tearing it apart made too much sense for Gray to disbelieve. The pink-haired man was a complete idiot, one seemingly created for the sole purpose of fighting and causing collateral damage. The girl's wrath was not only understandable but quite logical.

The part of her being a mythical vampire of all things… well, Gray was inclined the believe that as well. He was pretty sure that they did not exist in his own world, but this was not Earthland. Who knew what sort of strange things went on in this place that they all thought to be normal. For all Gray knew, someone could have raised a tame dragon and named it Puff! Alternate worlds were weird places, and the less he thought about what made them weird the less they would hurt Gray's head.

Not everyone could be like Natsu. And the fact that the man's usual level of cheerfulness had been there as well, instead of the grim faced man Gray had encountered shortly after being freed back in Edolas, was also a key part of the puzzle. And with that piece the rest of the puzzle began to click into place.

If the man had been on his game then there was no way Gray could have knocked him out so easily. It was only when they were in a relaxed atmosphere, like when they were at the guild, that Natsu ever went down so easily. While somewhat scuffed, the dragon-slayer had seemed to be physically alright. Something which would not be true if the man had fought his way through the same puppet horde Gray had faced.

Not unless he had take the stealthy approach, and the possibility of Natsu sneaking around a stronghold full of powerful enemies was flat-out impossible. Gray would sooner say that Lucy was normal or that Gajeel was his best friend before the day came that Natsu ever avoided a fight.

These thoughts led Gray back to the conclusion he had drawn shortly before the dragon-slayer's entrance. Something had gone wrong with Warrod's spell and resulted in them longer being in Earthland. When combined with the girl's own words, it all made sense.

Gray and Natsu were in another world from their own. In this new world, the two of them would need all the help they could get.

Even if it came from a creature who had almost managed to kill him.

"I still don't trust you," Gray told her as the girl continued to softly stroke her nails along Natsu's neck. Her predatory gaze was unnerving, but if she was not actually an enemy then it was something he could handle with ease. "But I believe your stories about Natsu and about yourself. So with that being said, I think that I need to ask you some questions about this world as well."

Her eyes flickered to his own. Unlike his first time meeting her, they were now a pure emerald green. But regardless of their color they were still colder than the coldest ice spell Gray had ever created. He could feel himself being weighed and considered by those frozen orbs, and knew that he had reached a pivotal moment with her.

After a moment of thought the girl's eyes turned away. She shook her head as stopped stroking Natsu's neck and stood up. "Not here."

Gray crossed both arms over his chest. Great. They had reached an impasse.

"Then we're stuck," he said. "I don't exactly trust people who tried to kill me a short time ago. Especially when they claim to be powerful, century old vampires."

Tension filled the room as she locked stares with Gray. Neither of them were budging, and the girl's doll merely stood quiet at her place by the door. Unless something changed, Gray felt like he would soon be cross spells with the girl once again. The tension was broken by the return of the idiot.

" _Kya!_ Gray you bastard, where did you go?"

Natsu picked himself off of the floor, shoving aside the tiny vampire so forcefully that her body went crashing into a nearby wall. The dragon-slayer looked at her twitching form for a moment before he turned his head to locate Gray.

Upon finding his fellow Fairy, Natsu shoved his face into Gray's with a growl. "Hentai bastard. Take this!"

The man's fist buried itself in Gray's stomach, sending the air flying from his lungs. Another punch connected with Gray's face and the ice mage swore that he saw stars burst into being within the room.

Woozy from the hit and his still healing injuries, Gray tried to stay standing but fell against his bed instead. His body may have been better but he was far from recovered from his two days of constant battle.

The dragon-slayer stomped over and stood over Gray, arms folded beneath his chest. "So, Gray, did that get your attention?"

Gray scowled at the man and took a swipe at Natsu's face, growling when it missed. "Shitty flamer. Can't you pay attention to the mood in the room?"

"Nope. 'Cause some idiot who can't even dress himself knocked me out!"

"Oh shut up. It's not my fault that you're so weak that even Lucy could knock you out."

"What did ya just say? Are you trying to get me to beat you unconscious?"

"You can try it anytime you like, dragon fodder. Just not right now. It's seriously a bad time."

"Iceprick."

"Smokebrain."

Natsu snorted as their brief argument came to an end Then a serious look came over his face, and he offered Gray an arm to help him stand. "Well, you're probably right for once. We've got a lot to go over, Gray. You've probably already figured it out but we're not in Earthland anymore. So put some clothes on and hurry up. We need to get started on finding the others, okay?"

The ice mage looked at his friend's face as he stared at the man's proffered arm. Natsu wore a look Gray most closely associated with the fire mage's failed quests to find his dragon father. It was a look which contained hope in the face of a world which would deny him. One that was resolved to never stop trying, but possessing doubts as to whether he would ever succeed. Or if success was even possible.

It did more to convince Gray that they were in over their heads than anything else. He grabbed Natsu's arm and hauled himself up. "Yeah, we were just about to start talking about this whole Edolas type situation when you woke up and started fighting me again."

Gray shot a look towards where he had last seen the ancient girl. He could _feel_ the vampire's anger from where he stood and it was starting to make him edgy. "But, before we get back to there, I think that you might need to go some else before… never mind. It's already too late."

The girl had managed to regain her feet and was now glaring daggers at Natsu with her eyes. Her hair askew, and with a tiny bit of blood dripping from her nose, Gray could feel the icy power bubbling within her small form.

He shook his head and backed away a little. Leave it to Natsu to piss off an ancient and insanely powerful vampire in her own home. Then do it twice in one day. Gray backed away from Natsu, making sure that she would be able to hit the dragon-slayer with a spell without catching him in the effects as well.

Backing his friend up in a fight to the death was one thing. Gray would do that anytime on any day. But helping the idiot handle issues that were the man's own fault? Nope. That was none of his business. Even if it was with a centuries old demon of the night that had nearly killed Gray a few days earlier.

It was a rule as old as the guild itself. Fairy Tail mages handled their own stuff unless special circumstances were involved. As this was not currently one of those special circumstances, it was time for Gray to disentangle himself and get away from what would likely be ground zero for the third fight between the girl and his friend.

"We'll put our stuff on hold until later as well, vampire. But in the meantime I'd be grateful if you could hook me up with some clothes so before I go to that meeting you mentioned." Gray grabbed the sheet from his bed and wrapped it tightly around his waist. "I'd like to have some sort of clothing before meeting with other people."

The vampire turned her head ever so slightly in the direction of her doll. All without breaking her steadfast glare in Natsu's direction. "Chachamaru? Please escort this man to the wardrobe section and see that he is properly outfitted. I will take Natsu to join the others myself. We have matters to discuss before the meeting begins." A cold smile graced her features as the dragon-slayer frowned.

She then took a step forward towards Natsu, who finally seemed to sense that he was actually in danger. The pink-haired man locked gazes with the girl, his formerly relaxed position moving closer to that of his battle ready stance.

The tall doll whose name appeared to be Chachamaru took a step towards Gray. She gestured towards the door. "This way, Mr. Gray. You may follow me to your destination."

Moving silently, the automaton exited through the door and turned left. Giving Natsu a roll of his eyes and the vampire a parting glare, Gray tightened the sheet around his waist and followed the doll out of the room and into a giant stone corridor.

He made sure to hang back from the doll as they walked. Although he felt that they were not going to try anything at the moment, his trust in the things was less than zero. If it tried to pull a fast one on him then Gray would be ready.

A sharp series of booming blasts echo throughout the halls just before he left the doorway. Dust fell from the stone ceiling for a moment, and a blast of intense heat followed by a chilling cold slammed into Gray's back. Swearing under his breath at the dragon-slayer's impatience, Gray poked his head back in to take a look.

The room was in shambles. In the second that Gray had been out of it, parts of it were covered with ice while the bed was covered in a blazing fire. But instead of being locked in combat, a completely different sight greeted Gray's eyes.

Natsu was running around the room with his head and hands encased in a single block of ice. The fire mage ran around the room for several seconds before going to a nearby wall and starting to bash his face against it. Meanwhile, a cloud of smoke and a string of furious curses coming from beyond Gray's blazing bed told him where Evangeline was located. The girl's tiny form soon came into view as she was rolling on the floor, slapping her tiny hands onto her fiery clothes.

After spending a few seconds staring at Natsu and the girl as they tried to free themselves from the other's magic, Gray verified his earlier conclusion that whatever was going on between them was due to more to stupidity rather than actual hostility. Thus it was well within Fairy Tail's defined 'personal stuff' rule and was worth neither Gray's time nor his attention.

He closed the door and gestured for the doll to start walking. "Lead on already. Let's get out of here."

 **END**

 **A/N:** This is the second part of the previous chapter and is one of the reasons why 5 chapters morphed into many more. Rewriting it took hours and hours of effort but boy did it need to be done. Hopefully I was successful and you all can enjoy the read. Also, I am very much liking my shorter A/N's. The one I put in chapter 6 had a lot of information in it but was way too long for my tastes. But with this chapter I am all caught up and can get back to my Friday releases.

Go vote in the poll! Your votes matter :-)

And ouch. No comments at all? Not even a flame? That one stung a little bit. Comments definitely help me (and most writers) stay motivated. They are like fuel for us.

Only one comment for this chapter.

 _Chachamaru:_ Everyone's favorite gynoid will definitely be one of the Negima girls who will be receiving screen time in this fic. It won't be in a leading role, but given her connections to both Eva and Chao it is something that I cannot ignore. While I have a definite fondness in my hear for both her and androids in general (long live Commander Data!), writing her does leave me scratching my head at times. Trying to nail down her emotionally driven emotionless is quite the balancing act. I'm not sure if I succeeded, but I gave it my best try and will keep on trying to improve in the future.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Flower Shop Romance_ by Yojimbra. It is a simple slice of life fic in which a young Naruto and Ino are unwillingly forced to interact with one another and forced to bond over gardening. It is a great fluff piece for an off the road pairing.

Until next time,

Elsil


	9. First Meetings

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 9**

 **First Meetings**

Gray turned around in the mirror as he checked out his new threads. While he still hated both the vampire _and_ her demonic minions, the girl's wardrobe had quite the selection for men. He had even been able to request new versions of the clothes that he had left back in Earthland. Clad in a new pair of dark grey cargo pants, black shoes, and a collared white shirt Gray felt almost normal. He had also thrown on a dark blue jacket with cream trim that had taken him forever to find to complete the look and could not help but grin.

Maybe it was a little silly of him, but wearing something that was almost an exact replica of his usual threads made him feel a little bit better. It was a tangible piece of home that he could carry with him wherever he went. And as he examined himself in the mirror one final time the ice mage could not help but grin.

The dolls may be psychopathic maniacs but they sure knew their way around needle and thread. The outfit fit him nearly as well as the spirit-made clothes he had picked up from his trip to the Celestial Spirit World.

He gave his sleeves a quick twist to straighten the cloth and turned around once more. The coat had just the right amount of flare to it as well. It moved just enough to make him look both cool and mysterious, while also being heavy enough to not move in the slightest of breezes. Which was just the way Gray liked it.

"Is the order to your satisfaction, Mr. Gray?" A cold and emotionless male voice inquired. "This unit can make further alterations should you wish it."

Looking at the bobbing wisp floating nearby made him shake his head. He had seen many types of magic, but a glowing ball which could manage a wardrobe and take clothing orders was a new one. Still, it was damn effective so he was not about to complain.

Gray held up four fingers in front of it. "I'll take four other outfits like this one, with an extra shirt for each, in the colors that we discussed. As well as a three pairs of black pants, two red shirts, and two dark green shirts as well."

Gray paused for a moment. He felt that he was forgetting something. Then he slapped himself in the head with one hand as he remembered one final modification. "Oh, and make sure to get the emblem right when you put it on the coats and the shirts. That's my guild's symbol, so don't go messing it up."

"Yes Mr. Gray. You wished for it to go on the back of the coats and on the left breast of the shirts, correct?"

"Bingo, glowball. Thanks again for your help."

The wisp bobbed in acknowledgment and flew away. He watched it leave with a bemused expression then turned to face the only other thing present in the room. His smiled faded away immediately.

The odd doll the vampire had called Chachamaru had stayed silent throughout his entire foray into the world of fashion. Even with his mission accomplished the thing still just continued to stare ahead with a blank expression on its face. He stared warily at it, but the thing didn't did not make any threatening move towards him.

Finally, perhaps sensing his mood through some form of magic, it started to move. The doll stepped towards the dark brown door behind them beckoned for him to follow once again. "This way Mr. Gray. My Master and the others are awaiting our arrival."

Gray gave a terse nod of his head and nodded for the doll to lead the way. He followed suit once there was a good five feet separating them from one another. While the vampire and her dolls might be trying to make nice with him now he had not forgotten the days of torment he had suffered at their hands.

Thoughts of the past few days ran through his mind as they walked through the building's great stone corridors. The hellish contraptions had attacked him without mercy and hunted him without rest. They had punched, stabbed, and almost killed him more than once. Gray had never been so close to death in his life, nor felt so powerless, since his foolish attempt to stop Deliora on Galuna Island.

A comparison he felt was apt given the nature of the dolls' master. The vampire girl had weighed heavily on hid mind since he had left her and Natsu squabbling in the room. When she had been fighting the pink-haired dragon-slayer in the room the girl's magical power had felt to be on the same level as Elfman or Juvia. Powerful, yes, but well within the scope of Gray's own abilities. Yet when she had fought Gray earlier the girl's power had been _unreal_.

The change in her demeanor had also been jarring. Her appearance in the room with Natsu, while threatening, had been worlds away from the last time he had seen her. When he had been at her mercy at the end of his struggle she had been both cold and brutal. As though he had been no more than a fly whose wings she would pluck for her own amusement. As he had stared into her eyes, his body broken and bloodied, Gray had seen his death reflected in them.

That was not something possible for a good person. Not as Gray understood it. Good people, even when they had to kill, did not look as though they were going to enjoy the act. They did not look at the one they were about to kill with nothing but disdain. Not unless there was some kind of history between them, and there had been nothing between the girl and Gray.

What it all meant for him was that he still did not trust the vampire more than the barest of inches. In spite of her healing his injuries and reuniting him with his friend. First impressions mattered and did not fade away so quickly. Maybe she would prove to be like Jellal and become a reformed villain, but Gray would wait to see.

Following the humanoid construct soon brought him to a large amphitheater. Including Natsu and the girl there were four people waiting for him.

The others were strangers Grad had never seen. One was a boy who seemed to be Romeo's age while the other was a man who looked to be a decade older than Gray. Both looked to be kind, but Gray would wait before jumping to any assumptions.

A closer look at the older one made caused Gray's eyes to narrow. Although the man's aura was kept tight around his body, the man _radiated_ danger. He was powerful and probably experienced. Gray probed a little deeper with his senses and 'tsked' in annoyance at what he found. The guy was probably powerful enough to give Gildarts or Laxus a run for their money. The man would need to be watched.

As for the kid… well, from what Gray could tell at first glance as he looked at the boy, he seemed to have quite a bit of power to him for his age but not much else. His aura, while clear, was basic and rather simple. It was a feeling that Gray associated with people who had not yet found their path in magic. Finding ones path, whether it was towards an element like ice or something more esoteric like the Strauss siblings' Takeover magic, always seemed to leave a mark on a mage's aura.

Regardless, the kid would not be much of a threat and could be ignored for the time being. Gray turned his attention away from them and looked over to where he could see his fellow guild-mate. The pink-haired moron was lying on a stone bench with his white, dragon scale scarf covering his eyes and forehead.

Although the other man's hair was damp, and a few fresh tears were present in his ridiculous red shirt, Natsu's head was no longer encased in a block of ice. A significant improvement from the last time Gray had seen his friend, but one that was to be expected. For all of his faults the dragon-slayer was a powerful mage. A little block of ice was not nearly enough to stop him.

A quick look at the girl showed some newly charred areas on her uniform, but nothing serious by Natsu's standards. If Gray had to guess, it actually looked like she had gotten the better of his friend. That would be a first for a woman not named Erza or Mirajane. The undead creature held two pieces of paper bearing Natsu's face, with runic symbols covered its black and red surface. She stroked them softly as a dark smile lingered on her face.

Gray shuddered and turned away from her. The less he knew about what had happened, the better off he felt that he would be.

He moved towards his fellow Fairy and eased down beside the man. A few minutes passed before the dragon-slayer moved the scarf higher on his head and looked at the ice mage with one eye. "You cooled down yet Gray? Or do you still feel like going at it?"

 _Typical Natsu_ , Gray thought to himself. Just done with one fight and already spoiling for another. _He thinks I'm just as big a moron as he is._ What a pain.

Gray kept his annoyance from his face as he replied to the idiot. "I'm always cool, flame-brain. And while we can go whenever you want, let's keep it on hold for the time being." Things were too pressing to engage in a meaningless brawl at the moment, even if it was with Natsu. He nudged the dragon-slayer with one hand. "You have any idea what's going on with us? Because I have a few solid guesses and none of them are good news."

Natsu sat up with a grunt and placed both elbows on his knees. He looked Gray in the eye for a moment before looking away again. That caused Gray to sit up straight and run one hand through his black hair. That was not normal behavior for his fellow Fairy. And if Natsu was acting serious like this then things were really bad.

"Just like the tiny vampire said back in the room, the old coot's spell sent us to an entirely different world," Natsu spoke softly. "But it's not like it was in Edolas. No one here knows Fairy Tail or Fiore. And to make matters worse, _you're_ the only familiar face I've seen since getting here. No weird fake versions like Knightwalker or Edo Lucy, and there's no sign of any of the others from the hot spring."

A bitter look passed over his face. "It might be just the two of us for awhile too. This is a pretty big world we're stuck in, and the others could be anywhere in it. We've got our work cut out for us if we want to find everyone else."

The two sat in silence as the other three wizards watched them interact with one another. Well, the other two male wizards. The vampire seemed content to just continue stroking her pieces of paper while smiling maliciously in Natsu's direction.

With the dragon-slayer's confirmation it seemed as though Gray's worst theory had come true. He and Natsu were trapped in an unknown world, with no knowledge of where their friends might have been sent, and no easy way back home. With no knowledge of the land and no idea where their comrades were they were well and truly screwed.

Judging by Natsu's face and the way he played with his scarf, the normally irrepressible mage felt the same.

Gray felt a rising sense of anxiety. He did his best to shove it down, placing it into a box and closing the lid on it. He would not fall apart now. He had not faced a demonic vampire or a horde of dolls to be beaten by some intangible idea. None of his previous trials had managed to break him either, and this would be no exception.

Because they were mages of Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail stuck together and kicked the ass of anything that got in their way.

He slapped Natsu's shoulder, shaking the man out of his funk and grabbing his attention once more. "Alright Natsu. Let's swap stories and see what we can figure out. And trust me, we'll find a way to get everyone back together. It just might take us a little more effort this time around."

Gray held out his fist for Natsu to bump. Grinning fiercely, the dragon-slayer hit it with renewed fire in his eyes.

They spoke to one another for over an hour. When Natsu told Gray about how he had met the young Negi in a forest while naked, Gray had nearly fallen off his stone seat. Picturing a naked Natsu shocking four girls as he tried to speak with them, fighting some crazy swordswoman, and getting mauled by a bear only to end up trussed like a hog brought tears to the ice mage's eyes.

Natsu had not been nearly as amused and had almost begun fighting him once again, but it made Gray feel better to know that he wasn't the only one who had gotten his ass kicked in this new world. That, and he could now hold Natsu's status as a streaker over the other man whenever he tried to call out Gray's own habit of undressing.

The ice mage recounted his own story as Natsu's came to an end. How the first thing he knew upon waking up was that some little girl in a bath robe was sharing his bed and screaming at him like a banshee. How Gray had kicked her in the chest to stop the horrid wailing, only to then scramble out of the way as she summoned a horde of killer dolls and hit him with a giant iceberg. He saved some of the details of his struggle over the next two days but made to let Natsu know that Gray had been pushed to the edge of his limits and beyond.

Despite Natsu's seemingly relaxed relationship with the girl, Gray still did not trust her.

As the two Fairies spoke, the big man Gray had noticed earlier laughed when at some of the same parts that had amused Gray and Natsu. The kid, meanwhile, mostly blushed and touched the tips of his pointer fingers together at those same parts. Powerful for his age the kid might be, he was still just a little boy. Give him a few more years and he would probably be laughing along with the other men, but that day was not today.

For her part, the vampire rolled her eyes and shot the two Fairies a bored look, as though listening to a recount of the past few days was not worth her valuable time.

Their reunion complete, both Fairies then turned to the others and spoke of their home. They glossed over the world's structure – which neither one of them really cared about – as well as their respective childhoods. They mentioned guild-mates and missions, and the feeling of family that had flowed freely between one Fairy to another. Speaking of them like this brought to life the bonds they shared, making it seem as though the two of them would still see their guild-mates in only a few days rather than some unknown length of time.

It all felt bittersweet to Gray. An emotion with which he was all too familiar.

Bittersweet memories had accompanied him ever since Deliora killed his family. Then they were added to by the loss of his master to the same demon. The prospect of adding new ones to their ranks was an unpleasant feeling.

The ice mage scowled deeply and pressed Natsu to hurry through this portion of the talk.

The only battle they mentioned in detail was the final battle with Zeref that had brought them to this strange land. Gray was surprised to learn that Natsu's opponent had claimed to be a demon and had even talked to the dragon-slayer. Gray's own opponent had never once made an appearance and remained a mystery to the ice mage.

Added to Zeref's involvement and known reputation, it most likely meant that the enemy ice wielder had been also a demon. The thought brought a sour taste to his mouth that complemented the bittersweet feeling from earlier. Again Gray had failed to defeat an enemy who threatened the life and safety of those he loved. Again he had fallen short when it most mattered.

It seemed like his life's story summed up in a nutshell.

After they had finished describing the battle, both Fairies fell silent. Takamichi took their silence at the end of their tale to begin telling his own tale. With Negi's aid he spoke about their own world. To say that the this 'Earth' differed from Earthland would have been putting it lightly. The rules regarding magic and mages alone, and how magic was hidden from the eyes of the public, was enough to drive Gray insane.

The ice user felt his right eye twitch when both of the native mages emphasized that mages could not openly use magic in most public areas, and that violators of said rule could be turned into ermines if they gave away the fact that there was magic in the world. A whiff of smoke in the air told Gray that Natsu too was less than pleased.

What was wrong with this world? Magic was a wonderful and incredible ability that should be shared, not hidden! Even if not everyone could use it, hiding it away from them was not good. Gray had brought up this objection to them and only been slightly mollified by the reasons they gave. He let it go only because was not his place to tell them how to run their world. He was a traveler in it and did not plan to stay for very long.

From what they said, though, it seemed like the only place which seemed even somewhat normal by the standards of Fiore was some place called Mundus Magicus. In that world magic was a part of everyday life, and it was possible that someone there might even know how to get the Fairies home. Gray's hopes had been raised for a moment upon hearing that, but Takamichi had quickly doused that flickering hope with a bucket of cold water.

Mundus Magicus, though, came with its own set of problems.

It seemed as though the arrival of Natsu and Gray within this world had caused some kind of strange resonance to occur, changing the fabric of magic itself. It was too early to tell for sure, but Takamichi said that most of the nations in Magic Mundus were refusing to share any information in their possession. The big man had also seen signs of the various nations starting to move their military forces around, and tensions were beginning to rise as a result. For now, people like Takamichi and Negi had been dispatched by the various governments to gather data that would be analyzed at some later date.

The big guy didn't go into detail on the subject but Gray gleaned that the big man would try to keep the existence of Natsu and Gray a secret for the time being. Takamichi had intimated that there were some past problems in this world that were currently rearing their head once again and that the two Fairies might become falsely associated with this trouble were their existence to become known.

Natsu had probably failed to catch that part, but Gray was thankful to the older man for his discretion. Trying to learn and move about the world in an effort to find their companions would be hard enough without being labeled as high-value governmental targets. That had happened back to them back in Edolas, and it had been a dicey race towards the end of that adventure. If it was possible to avoid that in this new world, then Gray was intent on seizing the opportunity.

It was also mean that when a fight inevitably broke out, his opponents would know nothing about him. It would be nice for once to not fight against enemies who knew his every ability. The battles against Leon and Sabertooth, and their foreknowledge of his skills, had left a deep impression with him.

For a time the room was silent as each mage gathered their thoughts. To Gray's left, Natsu stood up and placed both hands in his pockets. The dragon-slayer then slowly made his way out of the amphitheater and into the areas beyond.

Gray ran his hands through his mussed up hair as he watched processed all of the new information they had been given. He tried to consolidate everything that he had just learned, but it was too much. Not being able to use magic freely, being stuck in another world, and maybe never being able to return home? Separated from Erza, Happy and the others? Gray could understand why Natsu had left on his own. It was all too much to take at once. Slowly, he stood up and found himself walking in Natsu's footsteps. He needed to think, and maybe get into a fight or to in order to sort things out.

His new boots clicked on the stone floor as he left the amphitheater behind.

* * *

Eva saw Negi's face crumble as Gray followed Natsu into the false night of her resort. Although the boy lacked her experience at judging people, he made up for this lack with the empathy of a child. Eva felt a twitch in her own heart as she watched him. He looked so similar to his father at that moment that she forgot how much she hated the man. This momentary feeling was swiftly crushed as she thought of the two Fairies and their reactions.

The pink-haired idiot had looked sad, but he would soon recover. It was inevitable. The man's fire was merely dimmed, and like a fire low on oxygen he would soon recover after he got some air.

She let out a slight _'tsk'_ and shook her head in annoyance. Idiots really were blessed with all of the luck. To be able to shrug off heavy thoughts so easily was almost unnatural to those without such a gift, and constantly irked those who were not so blessed.

People such as his companion.

Although he too seemed to be somewhat of an idiot, this little conversation had shown that her fellow ice mage could his mind outside of battle. The young man's thoughts would dwell and linger on the dark aspects of things, straining to stay in the light of hope. Perhaps someday she would be lucky enough to see him truly fall into despair.

Eva knew that it was this connection which Negi felt. It was written all over his face. After all, the boy was of a similar mind and attitude. He too knew of the darker side of life and the evil which lurked in the dark.

What remained to be seen was how he would react to this situation.

A thrill shot through her body at the thought. Would Negi react with the same hopeful determination as his father? Or would he fall into despair as he confronted a painful new unknown? Eva looked at him to gauge his thoughts. She saw his shoulders begin to shake and felt her initial thrill double.

Stifled sniffs reached her ears as he bowed his head to hide the tears Eva knew were there. Takamichi raised a hand to pat the crying boy on the back, but stopped at a hiss from the vampire. He locked gazes with her and spoke without words. The look on her face convinced him to drop his hand and light a cigarette.

"I want to help them." Negi's voice rang through the amphitheater like a bell, carrying clearly to her ears.

Eva weighed her response. This was the second real trial that he would undergo since coming to Mahora, and this time she could directly manipulate the situation to see how he would react. It was time to push the boy and test his mettle.

"Sorry, Boya, but could you repeat that?" She said with a slow drawl. "I had trouble hearing you just now."

Negi slowly raised his tear streaked eyes to meet her own. Eva felt her undead heart pulse as his gaze locked with her own.

With a voice horse from his tears and far more mature than his ten years would imply, the child grated a response. "Natsu saved my students. He is a good person, and I owe him." The kid's eyes sharpened as he refused to break eye contact with her. "His friend Gray seems like a good person too. And the two people are trapped here, separated from their friends, and might have no way to get home. Ever. Without us they have nothing. Which means that w _e have to help them_!"

The boy's eyes blazed with a furious determination. They cried out he would not be denied. That this time, he would see his will carried out.

For the second time since her fight with the child the iron of his soul lay bared before her eyes. It was a heady feeling for the vampire. One that brought her hope that she might see her long period of imprisonment end.

Eva knew then what she truly wanted from him. But first it was time to push him again. She needed to confirm her feeling and right now was the perfect moment.

"That's all well and good, _b_ _oya_ , but good intentions alone have never helped anyone," she said airily, with a wave of one hand. "It takes actions, and before you take action you need a plan made on sound information. Information which we do not fully possess since both of the fools were clearly withholding things that –"

Negi slammed the butt of his father's staff against the stone floor, cutting her off mid speech. Eva felt her voice catch out of shock.

"They told us what we needed to know and more, Eva." Sparks seemed to fly from the child's eyes as he held his ground before the ancient queen of darkness. "Not one word spoken here was a lie. We have received enough information, information that they _volunteered_. And I will come up with a plan to aid them or else I am not worthy to be my father's son."

As she looked at the young boy's face, Eva saw a flash of Nagi within them. The words sounded like something along the lines of what he would have said as well. Nagi would have helped these strangers from another world without blinking. He too would have stood before those he knew and asked for their aid.

He too would have stared into her eyes, hoping that there truly _was_ a light hidden within the vampire's dark shroud that cause her to aid him in his plan. Eva grimaced at the thoughts and crossed both arms below her chest.

Damn the entire Springfield line to _hell_! She was Nosferatu. The Apostle of Destruction. Harbinger of the End of Days! Vlad Tepes had nothing on her when it came to cruelty, and she had earned each and every _ounce_ of her fearsome reputation.

Yet as she looked into those determined eyes Eva knew what she had to do in order to get what she desired.

A grimace came over her face. She absolutely hated these sorts of deals. Deals where she got everything she wanted and gave away nothing in return were far better, but such was not possible this time.

Besides, Eva would get what she wanted in the end. It would just be mildly annoying for the near future as the kid would undoubtedly think she had been convinced by the kindness in his heart instead of cold, hard reasoning.

The vampire chose her next words carefully."Very well boya. You have made your point. You may cease your inane babble for the time being." She would be helpful, but her aid would not be without limits. "I will assist you in aiding them when the time comes, provided that I receive compensation of my choosing. Compensation that I will declare at a later date and time."

She held up one hand to forestall the boy's expression of gratitude that the vampire could just _feel_ coming her way it was so palpable. "And only of my choosing as well, brat. Accept those terms, and we shall have a deal. Reject them, and I – _oof!_ "

The kid's flying tackle took her completely by surprise, knocking the air from her lungs as he rode her body to the floor. His tears and cries of thanks were completely lost on the undead mage as she struggled to breath once more. The damn kid was killing her with gratitude!

"I accept, Evangeline, I accept. Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" Off in the background the vampire heard Takamichi voice something, but whatever he was saying was currently irrelevant in light of the indignity the little Springfield was foisting upon her.

Eva cursed aloud as she tried to pry the kid off of her person. This is what she had been worried about! All she wanted was to get more information on the strange magic the two young men wielded and lure the kid deeper into her web. And how does he interpret it? By thinking that she is a nice person and thanking her with a hug. A hug!

It was utterly disgusting.

Once she was finally able to pry the boy off of her and shut him up, the three remaining mages spoke for a short time before splitting up to sleep in separate rooms. The kid's plan had been simple, even if parts of it were severely annoying. Eva had agreed to host one of the Fairies while Takamichi would take the other.

She had fought and struggled against the condition, curing their names and shaking her fists at them, but eventually she caved in to the boy's tearful face and Takamichi's logic. Or so they thought.

The two idealistic fools had bought her act completely, leaving her in the clear to pursue her own goals. All she had to do now was pretend to be suitably irritated in the morning with the whole situation, make the boya and Takamichi feel a little guilty over imposing on her, and then everything would go according to plan.

The vampire rubbed a thumb over one of her fangs in delight as she slipped into her newly rebuilt room. She placed the two Hell Tickets inscribed with Natsu's magical signature in a secure vault - she had plans for them, and refused to let them be destroyed – and shrugged out of her clothes.

Her dolls had done a wonderful job at restoring the room to its former glory. It was her sanctum, a place where only she or her minions were allowed to tread.

Eva settled down into her bed and gazed across the room at another one of her hidden prizes. The final shard of Gray's ice magic glittered coldly in the night air. Safely contained within a stasis field, the mysteries it contained were hers to look at whenever she wished.

With both it _and_ unfettered access to one of the two Fairies to use as a test subject, the secret behind their strange magic would soon be hers. Surely it was worth a little bit of discomfort in the short term.

* * *

Dawn came in a glorious arrival of light. Alone in his bed, Negi woke with a great yawn. He sat up and blinked sleepily in the bright light which seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. He blinked sleepily, trying to figure out why it did not feel right. He looked around his room, trying to make out the blurry shapes without his glasses. It took him a moment, but he eventually did remember that he was not in his usual room with Asuna and Konoka. He had slept over in Eva's abode with everyone else.

The boy yawned once more as he stumbled out of bed. Waking up this morning was harder than usual for some odd reason. _There has to be something wrong with the bed_ , he thought to himself as he reached for his undershirt and brought it over his head. _Too soft, maybe?_ That had to be it. Everything else in the guest room was pretty much the same as the dorm room, so there were not that many factors which could have been the cause of his issues. He had even heard the soothing sound of booming magic shortly before falling asleep and listening to it as he fell asleep usually gave him peaceful dreams.

A knock sounded on the door. Negi grabbed for his clothes and called for the person to hold on for a bit. After a while spent fiddling with his shirt, since the blasted buttons refused to cooperate, he put on his pants and the rest of his normal ensemble. By this point he had the actions down to a science and was able to speed through the rest of the process.

Tying a tie was simple compared to getting those dang buttons through the tiny holes in his shirt.

When everything was on, and mostly in place, he put on a smile and opened the door. Chachamaru was standing there with her hand raised to knock a second time, her pretty face as unemotional as ever. Today she was wearing a ruffled white shirt paired with a black skirt. Her black knee high stockings were tucked into a pair of simple black heels. Overall, it made for a refreshing change from the normal school uniform in which he always saw her wear.

But seeing how clean and well pressed it look made the young boy feel self-conscious about his own wrinkled clothes. After all he had not had a chance to change or launder them since arriving back in Mahora from Kyoto.

Still, it would not due to be rude. Negi widened his smile and followed his sister Nekane's advice. Always compliment a woman when greeting them. "Good morning Chachamaru. Are you wearing a special outfit? It looks great on you!"

The only reply he received from her was a squeak. Negi blinked his eyes in . What could that be about?

"Chachamaru, are you alright?" He stepped in close so that he could take a better look at her features. The gynoid's face looked more flushed than usual and her pupils were slightly dilated. Did that mean the same thing a robot that it did for a human? Or maybe it just meant that something was wrong with her coolant flow. He was an expert in magic and basic education techniques. Not in magical androids.

"Your face looks awfully red. Should I call for Eva?" He reached for the girl in case she was in danger of collapsing. "Don't worry Chachamaru. I'll carry you to wherever she is right away!"

To Negi's surprise, Chachamaru dodged his arms and stepped back hurriedly. "I-I-I'm fine, sensei," she eventually managed to stammer. "It was only a momentary disruption in my air flow intake valves that resulted in a slight reddening of my upper dermal layer. You-you do not need to hold me at this time. My functions will soon return to normal."

Negi put his hands down to his side and stepped backwards. He had no idea as to how her body was able to function, so he would take her words at face value. "Okay Chachamaru." Knowing that his student was okay and not in danger was all that he needed to know.

The gynoid wrung her hands as the two stood in the hallway in peaceful quiet. She opened her mouth and shut it several times while Negi stood and waited patiently. He had grown used to such actions from many of the students in his class and had learned that waiting for them to approach him on their own was usually the correct course of action. Finally, after several minutes of this behavior, his robotic student seemed to settle down enough to speak.

"Um, sensei, my Master has asked me to bring you to the amphitheater before breakfast. She informed me that Natsu and Gray have called a meeting to discuss some of the items that were brought up last night. I believe that they are already present and are just waiting for everyone else to arrive."

"Ooh, really?" The thought of meeting the two strangers from another world again put a pep into Negi's step and cleared the remaining fog from his brain. "Excellent! That is wonderful news Chachamaru. Please, stay here for a moment. It won't take long for me to finish getting ready."

With a nod of her head, his android student walked down the corridor. Negi went back into his room and finished getting ready. Once he had washed his face and brushed his teeth – and thought about how Asuna would have yelled at him for doing that _after_ he had already gotten dressed – the young boy closed his door and walked to where his robotic student was waiting. The two of them made their way in peaceful harmony, the taller Chachamaru shortening her long strides to make it easier for him to walk beside her.

The girl's kind gesture brought warmth to the young boy's heart. The gesture was both kind and considerate, and was something that those who were bigger and older than the boy often forgot about. It only cemented his image of the girl as a nice and thoughtful person and served to improve his already bright mood.

Today would be an excellent day. The young boy just knew it. He had been thinking of all sorts of plans during the night as he struggled to sleep, but he needed a better grasp of the two men before he could figure out the final form of his plan. The framework he had come up with and sold to Takamichi and Eva was a good start but the personalities of the two men would be key to determining which older mage they would accompany.

Skipping alongside Chachamaru, who gave him a faint smile at his actions, Negi tried to work things through in his head one more time. Splitting the two fairies up was a keystone part of his plan, but who went where was yet to be determined.

Whomever accompanied Takamichi would need to be calm and levelheaded. The older man had a demanding and secretive job. One which required him to meet with all sorts of people in all sorts of places. Calling him a spy would probably be going a tad too far, but Negi suspected it was closer to the mark than the young boy was comfortable with acknowledging. Pairing him with a person possessing the wrong temperament could cause Takamichi problems in that line of work.

Yet the same could be said for whomever lived with Eva. The vampire was frightening and had a towering reputation. Negi did not want to imagine what might happen if she was forced to host someone who did not respect her rules. If there was some kind of disagreement between her and the Fairy, then there was a very good chance that things could quickly get out of hand.

Negi would also probably get blamed for it by the vampire since it was his idea in the first place. She may have given her support to the idea, but she had stressed how much of an imposition it would be on her and had listed a long series of demands that would need to be met before she allowed anyone to stay with her.

The picture of a fully powered Eva on a bloody rampage came to mind, screaming his name as her horde of dolls pillaged the Academy in unholy vengeance. Negi shuddered at the vivid image. Yeah, on second thought the less aggressive of the two mages should definitely stay with her. Otherwise his dark student might one day decide to suck her teacher dry.

To distract himself from getting trapped in those thoughts Negi tried engaging Chachamaru in some light conversation. "So, Chachamaru, how did Eva give birth to you? Was it a long childbirth? Or was it relatively short?"

The android fell against a nearby wall. Negi could hear gears within her body whirring at incredible speeds as she turned a beet red face in his direction.

Had he said something inappropriate? He had just wanted to learn how such an amazing person as herself had come into being. While he knew that human babies were made from kissing and holding hands, and then a few months later a stork would bring a baby over to the house, Negi was not certain how one created or birthed an android.

Maybe he should rephrase the question. "Um, maybe I made a mistake in my initial question. Chachamaru, is Eva your mother? Or is she your father?"

If anything, Chachamaru's face grew even more red at this change in phrasing. The boy pressed on anyway. "I would love to know, not just out of curiosity but also out of concern for your own health in case you ever need a magic user to perform maintenance on your body. If Eva is not around then such a duty might fall to me, and I would prefer to perform to the best of my capabilities in any such situation."

Those words seemed to send the gynoid over the edge as Chachamaru collapsed to the ground in front of him the instant he finished speaking. A faint cloud of steam was leaking out from the girl's ears, and her mouth seemed frozen in the shape of an 'O.'

Negi rushed to her in a panic, holding his much taller student within his arms as he tried to get her attention. " _Eh_? Chachamaru, please come back to me! I'm sorry for anything I may have said." He had just been trying to make some simple conversation. How had that caused this situation to happen? "Don't die on me Chachamaru. Please! Oh my God, Asuna is going to kill me when she finds out about this, and I will miss you horribly too before she kills me. So don't die on me Chachamaru. Please wake up. _Please_!"

It took ten minutes of frantic talking on his part but Negi was somehow able to bring her back to consciousness. The android seemed rather skittish upon her awakening but had allowed him to help her stand with a faraway look in her eyes as he held her arm close. She then proceeded to dodge his worried inquiries and began talking about the subject he had initially raised.

Chachamaru haltingly explained that she was a combination of magic and technology and that Evangeline was something other than a traditional parent figure. Rather than being a mother or a father, it was more correct to call her Chachamaru's guide and caretaker. She looked after the gynoid and explained things to her, but expected to be served unquestioningly in return.

Negi's eyes had sparkled at this new information. Oh how amazing it was! Their complex relationship aside, that Eva had participated in such an experiment was beyond anything Negi had ever considered doing himself. To think that magic and science were capable of intertwining to such an extent was incredible. It was a whole field of magic he had never before thought possible!

As the two of them continued on their path to Eva's amphitheater, Negi tried to gain as much information from his student as he could with their limited time. It was a relatively short walk, but by the time they neared the end Negi had already learned quite a bit. Chachamaru had just finished explaining the fundamental basis for magical programming when they reached the building's entrance way.

"So you're saying that all magical hardware operates using base twelve as the numerical basis while the relative values of your software are changed in purpose and assignment according to Nordic runes?"

The female android nodded her head. "Indeed sensei. These two fundamental differences makes it quite difficult to bridge the gap between technological and magical programming. Master and the others had to create an entirely new language to ensure that all of my parts would operate correctly." A small smile grew on her face. "As such, I can smoothly integrate into any known form of networking – regardless of it being based in science or magic – while being nearly immune to infiltration from either."

Negi let out an _'ooh'_ of appreciation as he nodded in agreement. The range of powers and abilities Eva displayed constantly amazed him. This discussion on Chachamaru's creation was both fascinating and eye opening. He had not known anything about magical programming and was finding his lack of knowledge appalling. Just imagining the sheer complexity of the task Eva had undertaken to create Chachamaru made the boy marvel at the speed in which it was accomplished.

Chachamaru had been created two years ago while her initial research and development only took a single year. Such speed was beyond incredible. It was like something straight out of a fairy tale! He looked up at the tall girl in appreciative wonder. The results must have far surpassed their hopes, for Chachamaru was a fully functioning person. Someone who was a kind and gentle soul to those around her, and the world would be a lesser place without her in it. Thinking about it also helped Negi to make up his mind on a subject he had been considering since he had first fought against Chachamaru and her master.

The only way he could catch up to his father, and not forever be left in his wake, would be if Negi had a powerful teacher to call his own. One who possessed more knowledge and skill than any of his old teachers in Wales. Furthermore, it would have to be someone who was already at or near his father's level.

He wanted it to be Evangeline.

"You're a cheeky little dish, boya, making me wait before my breakfast." Eva's growled greeting made Negi jump. Looking up, he saw her looking down. She was floating in the air above the entrance way and was staring down at him with a hungry look in her eyes. "Morning. Now take a seat and shut up so we can get this over with quickly. I'm hungry, so you had better not do anything to make this take any longer than is strictly necessary. Otherwise it might be you who will end up being my new morning snack instead of one of the two morons that called this meeting in the first place."

Behind him, Chachamaru patted Negi's shoulder as she left his side and moved to stand by her master as the vampire floated down to a nearby seat of stone. Eva's simple black dress fluttered in the air, revealing ruffles of cream, red and violet as he watched.

"Well? _Move it already!_ Let's hurry up and get this over with! I'm hungry!" She snapped.

The dress really seems to fit her mood, Negi mused to himself as he hurriedly chose a seat next to where Takamichi sat. The big man's suit looked even more rumpled than that of Negi's, and he greeted the younger boy with a nod of his head. Negi glanced at Eva one final time before moving his gaze away.

Ever since the trip to Kyoto had reached its conclusion, Negi had been thinking of asking the scary vampire to be his teacher in magic. The events of the trip had made the limits of his abilities clear to him. There would be little he could improve upon by studying on his own, and he _had_ to improve. Negi would not allow himself to allow any of his students or friends to suffer harm in the future.

Still, he would wait a while longer before asking her to be his teacher. She was too scary at the moment and Negi had no desire to die before he accomplished all of his goals.

The boy turned his attention to Natsu and Gray. Both young men were close by and appeared to have gotten little sleep. Gray stood by a nearby pillar, dressed in an apparently fresh pair of the same clothes in which Negi had last seen him, with his arms crossed under his chest. Meanwhile Natsu just lounged on the floor. The pink-haired was wearing the same red shirt and khaki pants that Konoka's dad had scraped up for him and was running his ever present white scarf through his hands in what appeared to be an unconscious habit. Negi could sense a faint magic emanating from the item but could not tell what type.

Now was probably not a good time to ask about it. Both Faeries sported multiple bruises on their faces while deep bags lingered under their eyes. Thinking back to the magical booms he had heard last night, Negi connected their new appearance with Natsu's apparent gift of fighting anyone. This in turn brought his mind back to his earlier concerns about the temperaments of the two mages and caused the young boy to gulp. He could feel the pressure of the decision weighing down on him as a nearly physical sensation.

Send Natsu with Takamichi and possibly create a diplomatic incident. Or keep the fire mage nearby and thereby place Negi's own life, and that of his students, in danger from the vampire's retribution. _Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad_. Neither option was good. Oh, _why_ did Natsu have to be so violent?

Gray's voice brought Negi's mind back to the present. "You guys probably made some plans last night after we left. We'll hear them out in a little bit, but first, we wanted to thank you for leaving us to our own devices while we worked some things out." Gray gave Negi and each of the other two native mages a curt nod.

Natsu stood up and nodded his head in agreement as well. "Yeah, we just needed some time to think and work things out with our fists. I had to beat some sense into droopy eyes over there, and he cooled off some of my crazier ideas." Natsu closed his eyes and breathed deeply before waving a hand in his friend's direction. "Gray and I came up with some stuff while we were going at it, but I'll let him do most of the talking. He's better at explaining this boring talking stuff than I am."

The black-haired mage snorted and straightened his back against the pillar. "Thanks for the backhanded compliment, flamebrain But I guess that even a moron like you has a point once in a blue moon." He faced the other mages, looking at them with a chilly eyes. "Natsu and I have two requests that we'd like you to take into account with whatever plan you guys came up with. First, and most importantly, is this. The moron and I can't stay in the same place until we find the rest of our friends."

Negi adjusted his glasses in mild surprise as he looked between the two young men. He had not anticipated this outcome. According to what he had been thinking, the two mages from another world would first need to be persuaded of this fact. This was certainly a pleasant surprise. He might not need to convince them of the benefits of having one search while the other stayed stationary as a base of operations.

It also seemed to strike a cord with Takamichi as the big man was quick to speak up. "Although it fits with our plan, are the both of you really certain that you do not want to remain together? Is there some sort of bad blood between you that we should know about? Or some kind of magical condition?"

Natsu and Gray shot a complicated look at one another. Negi tensed as he watched them, wondering if the two were about to fight. Then the two older boys fell to the ground, laughing uncontrollably.

" _Wahahahaha!_ " Natsu yelled out as he rolled around on the stone floor. "Bad blood? Ha! And magical conditions? Only in the sense that Gray's shitty blood has been completely frozen over for years and has turned him into a compulsive stripper."

Nearby, Gray's laughter cut-off and he aimed a kick at the laughing Natsu. "You're one to talk fire veins. You're dumber than a rock and have probably boiled that piece of crap you call a brain way beyond the point of no return."

The dark-haired man landed a clean hit on Natsu's face and pumped a fist in the air as the fire user's head smashed backward into the amphitheaters flagstones. "Ha! Suck it moron!"

With a roar, Natsu leaped up from the floor and pounced on his friend. "Don't kick me in the face, ya perverted stripper!"

Negi then watched as the pink-haired man proceeded to punch, bite, and kick any part of the other man within reach. Gray fought back just as hard and just as ugly, pulling Natsu's hair and slamming both knees into the fire mage's stomach over and over again.

As the two continued to roll across the floor in a screaming tangle of limbs, Negi blinked slowly and turned to the more experienced mages. "Takamichi? Eva? Are they okay?" The boy was confused. He had never seen anything like the two men before him. This could not be normal activity.

To Negi's left, Takamichi was chuckling while Eva gave the quarreling pair a flat stare. She turned to look at Negi and spoke in a tight voice. "They're as okay as they will ever be, boya. It's an incurable condition that only afflicts the particularly stupid. Your father was like this with his closest friends as well."

Then her eyes flashed, and Negi once more glimpsed the ancient monster which lurked underneath her cute visage. "But if those two don't stop soon, I may just kill them."

Negi nodded in absent minded agreement, only to blink again as her initial words fully registered in his brain. His father had been like the two men in front of him? He and his friends had behaved just like the same two men who currently looked as though they were trying to kill one another?

A corona of flame surrounded Natsu's fist and arced towards Gray's face. Gray blocked it by encasing his friend's arm in ice with a victorious laugh, only for it to change midway into a cry of pain. Natsu had ignored the fact that his arm was frozen and was now slapping his friend in the head with the icy appendage. Negi winced at the sound of the hits and Natsu's crazed laughter.

Their behavior made no sense. The boy looked at Takamichi for confirmation of Eva's words. Surely his father, the legendary Thousand Master, had not acted in such a way.

The big man nodded as he absently scratched his untrimmed beard. "Nagi never could act serious to save his life. The old days of Ala Rubra were filled with this sort excitement." He grinned and rotated one of his arms to light a fresh cigarette. "Looking at them having that much fun almost makes me want to join in for old times sake."

A piercing gaze came on his face as Negi looked towards the two Fairies. Looking closely, he could see that they fought in the most ineffective way possible. Vital points were ignored and their blows lacked any sort of refined technique.

Although snarls and curses were constantly thrown between them, somehow it felt as if they were actually happy. It was as though the two were acting out some sort of strange, demented bond that only made sense to the two of them.

A twinge of jealousy ran through him at that thought. It seemed as though his father's back kept getting further away. No matter how hard Negi tried, no matter what he tried to do, he always seemed to come up short of his father. The list of things his father excelled in kept growing longer as his back grew ever more distant.

Unfortunately for Negi, his morose train of thought had caused him to grow distracted. Thus he was unable to stop his body from flying off its seat when Eva's rage finally blasted forth.

* * *

" _Enough!_ " Eva's voice roared through the amphitheater, sending Gray's pulse skyrocketing. The vampire's magical aura flared to life with a dazzling intensity and a blast of ice shot out at the two Fairies.

Gray did his best to block her attack but it came too fast. The rolling wave of ice pummeled the two men into a stone wall on the far side of the amphitheater, and Gray felt his half-healed body creak under the impact. With an effort, he managed to get his wits together long enough to dispel her initial assault. Then the next one came.

With a sudden crack, gigantic spears of ice flashed into being around the two men in a gigantic cage of death. Gray and Natsu dodged away from one another as the spears sheared through the floor by their feet, sending shards of ice and rock flying in a hail of shrapnel.

Gray made it to safety. He had never wavered in his observation of the girl and had sensed the attack coming a split second before Natsu. The dragon-slayer was not as lucky. He was able to dodge most of the girl's attack but took one to his side at the last moment and went flying into the air, cursing at the top of his lungs.

From where he landed, Gray pressed his hands to the ground and released a surge of magic. He canceled the girl's magic just before it could fully entrap Natsu. The pink-haired man fell out of the sky and hit the floor straight on his head.

The black-haired mage could feel his arms shaking from the effort it had taken to dispel the girl's magic. He wasn't sure how many more times he could block her attacks before his body started giving out on him once again as he still was not quite healed. Last night's brawls with Natsu had been tolerable, but the vampire was well out of Gray's league even on his best day.

Walking up to them was the ancient creature herself, her lips pulled back to form a snarling rictus. Her dark outfit flowing around her body, moving on the currents of magic pouring from her tiny body in a raging torrent. The ground froze around her feet as she came to a stop. Her brilliant green eyes narrowed.

"So long as you are both within my dominion, you _will not_ fight one another." She finally ground out as she stopped in front of their cages. Ice crackled as she clenched both of her tiny hands into fists. "You will obey my words as if they were God's own law, jump when I say jump, and crawl when I say crawl. Or I shall carve my name upon your miserable little hides and turn you into whimpering shells of your former selves."

She turned to stare directly at Gray. "Now. Have I _made_ myself _clear_? Or must we do things the hard way?"

Gray's eyes glittered in unspent rage. He had known that he could not trust her, and here she was proving him right. He had been hunted by this woman and her dolls for two days. She had ambushed him and beaten him to within an inch of his life, only to then heal him and act as though she had done nothing wrong the moment it was of benefit to her. Gray knew he was no match the vampire, but to let her insult him like this without hitting back was not in his blood.

"Ya know, I don't think you did make yourself clear." A torrent of flame burst into being at Natsu's words. It surrounded Natsu's body, roiling around him in a golden storm of magical energy.

The dragon-slayer made a fist with his fiery right hand and slammed it into the open palm of his left. "Let's finish what we started yesterday, vampire. Only this time with the kiddie gloves off." He then gave the vampire a toothy grin as his eyes shone with lightning.

"You've got me all fired up now."

 **END**

 **A/N:** A big info dump and all (and I'll be back to the long A/N's too for a bit, ugh), but with it another rewritten chapter bites the dust. The information that the two groups exchanged, though, really was necessary for the plot. I also felt that it would be good to show it in-scene rather than off-scene. That way you could see how it affected the various characters, as well as their varying perspectives and motivations. Eva plotting, Negi getting ecstatic over the goodness of others, Natsu and Gray wanting to punch things… all the usual fun stuff. It also allowed me to insert a few bits of foreshadowing too. Gosh I hope that I can make it to the Mundus arc.

And I just _had_ to end things on a cliffhanger. ;-)

I want to give a big shoutout to Savaris, Raiyoukai, RizomataNyan, and Bobicus for their kind reviews on the last chapter. Readers like you four (and the ever so kind flamers who pop up once in a blue moon) help me to stay the course when writing. And if anyone has fic recommendations for me like Savaris did which you think might help me get into a character's head, then please send them my way. I can use all the help that I can get and greatly enjoy finding good new fics to read.

Now, on to my usual comments.

 _Negi Springfield:_ It's taken me some time to get him in the spotlight of my comments, but here goes. One of the two main protagonists of Mahou Sensei Negima (and also of this fic), he is a character cast in the heroic mold of many great heroes of myth and fiction. In my opinion, Negi is a classic example of a hero who is willing to go out of his way to help others. Even at the cost of his own health and happiness. This very trait caused him to succeed in Negima canon, but it also worried those who cared about him throughout Negima as they feared– for good reason I might add – that he might someday take on more than he could handle.

This is best exemplified by what has happened to him in UQ Holder (Ugh. I won't give away spoilers, but I really do dislike its story; even if it _has_ given us a few gems in terms of supporting characters), and it is a trait which the characters will struggle with throughout my own story. Negi's behavior will drive the FT crew nuts once they figure it out, as FT's moral compass (while clear and consistent) is more localized. They go for their comrades first and the greater good second, whereas Negi is more of a greater good first and comrades second type of hero. These two concepts are not always in conflict with one another, but the periods when they do conflict cane make for some great reading. This difference between the two main camps of good guys will also introduce a conflict between them that will grow until their tempers boil over in one helluva explosion.

I also cannot change this basic character trait without ripping out the very core of Negi's characterization. An action that I refuse to take. Instead, I plan to show its pros and cons as I temper it over time.

Additionally, Negi _will_ age in this story. I understand that he eventually became both immortal and eternally young in canon, but come on! The kid hardly changed in appearance from the moment the manga started till the day it ended. Growing boys at his age change _constantly_. And this is in spite all of the time warping stuff Negi did _prior_ to becoming immortal too!

My best guess is that the author wanted to keep the whole shtick (if you don't know this word then look it up) of the 'child teacher/hero' going but that does not appeal to me. I prefer my heroes to be older and more grown up than a 10 year old child (which the original author cheated by using a deus ex machina magic pill that made characters look older/younger) and this story will eventually reflect my bias.

This chapter also saw my first stab at having Negi try to carry a scene. I'm keeping him close to canon for now, but expect for that to diverge as the story goes on.

 _Takamichi Takahata:_ Ugh. I'm sure that it came out in my writing but I truly do not like the man. He is boring, forgettable, boring, underwhelming and sooooo gosh dang boring. Did I mention that I find him boring? I'll do my best with him but I don't have high hopes. He will have a continuing role in my fic, though, as no other Negima character really has his connections and ability to pass between the mundane and magical worlds at will and I will not make a lame OC to fill the gap. I also want to grow as a writer, and one good way to do so is by tackling characters that give you a hard time so…. Yeah. I'll be tormenting myself and all of you with him for awhile. I have two special surprises in store that involve him.

 _Chachamaru Karakuri:_ What did you think of her conversation with Negi regarding her creation? I was always curious about it and wondered why Negi never tried to investigate it more in canon. Because being able to create a fully functional artificial intelligence – one capable of both rational thought _and_ emotion – is a BIG DEAL.

Something like that doesn't just happen because a scientist or a wizard waves their hand and proclaims "Let it be so". Unless it's in a very old book or being done by either a) a crappy author, or b) one who just does not care about the topic beyond 'this would be a neat plot device.' Negi will be looking into both the how and the why during my fic as it will be a continuing subplot.

Chachamaru herself, while not a personal favorite, was always intriguing to me. I was raised on _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ , and that show has definitely influenced my love of android characters who seek to be more human. Chachamaru is no Commander Data but she _is_ a fun character to throw into the mix of things. Expect her to be a recurring and influential support character in this fic.

 _Jellal:_ If you're a Jellal fan then get out now. He is probably my least favorite character in FT and there will be very little positive that I have to say about him within my story. I won't bash him, but I honestly think that he should have died back in the Tower of Heaven and _hate_ that he is paired with Erza. I'd rather see her paired with Happy or a semi-intelligent rock than with Jellal. Grrrr…

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Becoming Lífþrasir_ by Midoriko-sama. It's a completely AU take on the _How to Train Your Dragon_ series. Based on the animated universe, it's a "what if" Hiccup felt like he would never be accepted on Berk and took off into the night with Toothless shortly after they first met. It's another fic which hits all the right notes: adventure, action, humor, romance, and more. It also has two excellent (and complete!) sequels which will probably make their own appearances in this area should I be lucky enough to get that far in my own story.

Until next time,

Elsil


	10. A Woman, a Lover, a Friend

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 10**

 **A Woman, a Lover, a Friend**

Asuna tapped her finger against her bed while Konoka bustled about their kitchen. Hours had passed since they had parted with Natsu and Negi and the twin-tailed girl was beginning to worry. The two were certainly taking their sweet time.

She glanced at the clock on their wall and sighed. Leave it to a kid to make his caretakers worry. "Konoka," she called from her spot on the bed, "how long was the meeting with your grandfather supposed to last again? Didn't Negi say he would be back with the pink-haired pervert in tow by now?"

"Um, I think that it was supposed to be over some time ago." Then Konoka paused in her bustle to give a quick _'eep'_ of dismay. "Oh! I forgot to mention that Grandfather called while you were busy fighting with Iincho in the hallway earlier. He mentioned that Negi had some sort of assignment near Eva's place and would probably be back late this evening."

For a moment Asuna stood there with her mouth open. Then she began to fume.

The little loser! How dare he go off on some sort of mission and leave her behind. Without so much as a by your leave too! Weren't they supposed to be partners?

"Wait, hold on there. Let's go back in the conversation for a minute. What is this about some pink-haired pervert? Did my Aniki get his hands on a new girl I haven't heard about?" Chamo's tiny voice chirped from his drawer of underwear, interrupting Asuna's conversation with Konoka. The ermine's furry face practically shone with perverseness as his tiny eyes bulged out of his face. "What's her age? Are her measurements any good? Is she perky in all the right places? Come on, tell me all the details and don't leave anything out. This is important stuff here y'know?"

Leave it to the peanut gallery to make her even more annoyed. Asuna shot the creature a look that could have curdled milk. "No, you flippin idiot, it is not a girl. It's Natsu, remember? The naked bastard who flashed half the girls in our class?"

The rodent let out an admiring grunt and withdrew its head. From the sound of it, the tiny miscreant had begun to rummage through the contents of its drawer. "Ah, yes, truly a man after my own little heart. He showed great initiative with those actions. I give him a 7 out of 10, with points deducted for poor follow-up. If only I could get Aniki to be half so daring."

Well, it was clear that the ermine's priorities had not changed, much to Asuna's displeasure. His furry head reappeared moments later, his beady little eyes peeking out from beneath some girl's striped panty. "Can you imagine what it would be like if Negi were even half as open with his male charm? I mean come on! With the type of girls in your class I'd be rolling in Pactios by sunset!"

"And that is why I am forever glad that the kid is at least intelligent enough to avoid your advice ninety percent of the time."

"Psh. You're just jealous. And don't you try to deny it either, 'cause an Ermine knows."

Up on her bed, Asuna redoubled her venomous stare at the rodent's abode. A picture of herself strangling the furry menace to society with her own two hands ran through her mind and brought a smile to her face. Asuna could get away with it. She knew that she could. The only two people who would object to it would be Konoka and Negi, and getting them out of the picture as Asuna did the deed would be easy.

"Too bad it would be murder," she groused softly. "Otherwise I'd only have to deal with those maniacs from PETA. And what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them."

Her eyes followed Chamo as, with their conversation ended, the little rodent began to clean himself with reckless abandon atop his stockpile of pilfered undergarments. She averted her eyes as quickly as possible. And on second thought even PETA would probably award her some sort of medal for removing the perverted ermine. Chamo gave animals everywhere a bad rap.

With a harrumph of disdain Asuna tried to put the perverted rodent out of her mind. Unless some kind of kinky situation or turn of phrase came up he would stay quiet in his little corner. It was one of the few good qualities he possessed. She gave a second harrumph. It was probably the rodent's only good quality.

Meanwhile Konoka had continued to move about the room with a cheery hum. She was in the midst of pulling some pan out of the oven by the time Asuna turned her attention back to the dark-haired girl. The sight of Konoka cooking something made Asuna's stomach grumble as it shut down the higher processing functions of her brain. Her roommate's food was a greater temptation than the apples of Atalanta. It was so good as to be nearly sinful.

What had they been talking about again?

The thought was removed from her head as a fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked dough made its way to Asuna's nose. The orange-haired girl began to salivate. "Ooh, that smells delicious, Konoka-chan. Can I have some before Negi and the idiot get back?"

She jumped off of her bed as she spoke, moving to where she could try to grab one of the freshly baked items from the tray. Her hand snaked out to snatch one of the tempting morsels.

Konoka gave it a sharp slap with a wooden spoon. "Sorry, Asuna, but these aren't for you or Negi-sensei." The beautiful Japanese girl gave a giggle as she rescued the plate from Asuna's grasp. "They're special."

The dark-haired girl then began wrapping up the baked goods in thick sheets of paper, carefully shielding them from sight with her body. Asuna tried to get close, but Konoka boxed her out more effectively than a mother hen protecting her clutch of eggs.

The girl had moves when it came to protecting her cooking from thieves. And that wooden spoon of hers smarted!

"Awww, c'mon Konoka. Can't I have even one?" Asuna could feel the saliva almost dripping out of her mouth as she gave up on trying to obtain one by force. It was cruel and inhumane for Konoka to keep whatever she had made from her poor, suffering roommate. They were close friends – nay, they were more than friends, they were comrades-in-arms in the struggle to raise and educate their ten year old teacher in the ways of life and morality. Surely Asuna was entitled to a few bites of Konoka's divine cooking. After all, raising Negi and protecting him from the grasp of her classmates was tough! Asuna needed all the energy she could get.

Yet her continued pleas were to no avail. Konoka just shook off her protestations and pleas with her customary cheerfulness and bustled about their dormitory, cleaning everything in sight. She even refused to let Asuna lick the pan and whacked her with the spoon yet again when Asuna tried to do so anyway.

Whomever the baked goods were for was officially on Asuna's shit list. The only possible exception to that was if they were for Takamichi, but Asuna doubted that was the case. Konoka didn't feel that way towards guys. And judging from the wrapping on the paper, those things were definitely earmarked for something of a romantic nature.

Soon enough the items were packed away and every tool used to make them was cleaned or watered down within their small kitchen sink. Asuna stared at the neat package with a longing look in her eyes. Whoever they were for had better appreciate them.

A knock sounded from the door. Asuna walked towards it with a grumble, only somewhat thankful for a reason to stop longingly staring at the wrapped morsels that lay beyond her reach. "Coming!"

The sound of Asuna's grumbling stomach as she moved caused her anger to rise. As Asuna turned the handle to open the door, she readied herself to give the person a piece of her mind.

"I don't know who you are or what you're doing at someone's doorway this late in the –" Asuna's voice cutoff as she got a good look at the person who stood at the doorway with their hand still raised. "Setsuna! I didn't know you were coming over. Come in, come in. It's good to see you!"

Asuna's grimace disappeared as she smiled at the young swordswoman. It was good to see the other girl in a less stressful situation than the battles in Kyoto. She was looking better too. Her uniform was neat and tidy, while a soft smell of soap drifted in the air.

Definitely an improvement over the battle-worn attire they had worn in the forest. "By the way, did you happen to see Negi on your way here?" Asuna questioned with a hint of her previous ire. "The damn kid's late for dinner."

Setsuna bowed her head in greeting and placed her shoes next to Asuna and Konoka's by the room's entrance. "It is good to see you as well, Asuna-san. Yet I must apologize, for I did not see Negi-sensei on my way over." The wrapped sword soon joined her shoes against the wall. "Ojou-sama asked me to stop by this evening on my way back from the dojo. She said that she wished to speak with me about something."

The black-haired girl then shifted her head to peer into the kitchen area. "Is that freshly baked cinnamon buns that I smell Asuna-san? I love them. How did the two of you know that they are my favorite?"

At those words a light bulb went off in Asuna's head. Konoka's super cheerful demeanor of the past few hours while Asuna sulked and waited for Negi to return. The neatly wrapped baked goods forbidden to Asuna. Negi's late meeting and Setsuna's evening appearance at Konoka's request.

They all added up to one inescapable conclusion.

Looking behind her, Asuna saw that Konoka had yet to notice Setsuna's appearance. _Dangit. The things I do for my friends._ She patted herself down and noted that she was still decent to go outside. It was a good thing she had yet to change out of her uniform. She patted her pocket to make sure her spare set of keys were there before calling out. "Konoka, I'm going out to find Negi-sensei. I'll be back with the brat in a while. We'll probably eat out too, so please don't wait up for us."

Setsuna's eyes widened as Asuna paused and looked at her with a grin. The girl could see Asuna's next move coming, and Asuna delivered her next statement with a perverse glee. "Oh, and Setsuna is here to see you Konoka. She said that she'll keep you company while I'm out looking for Negi and the moron."

" _S_ _E-CHAN'S_ _HERE_ _?_ " A loud crash sounded from the kitchen. Konoka's head and upper body soon appeared, covered in some white powdery substance. "You came! You're actually here _S_ _E-CHAAAN_ _!_ "

Asuna evaded the flour covered missile that was her roommate and grabbed her shoes before the two suddenly entangled girls toppled over in the middle of the entranceway. An impish smile graced her lips as Setsuna spluttered and tried to push a squealing Konoka off of herself. It would serve as ample revenge for the baked goods while also making Konoka happy.

"Be sure to treat Konoka like a princess while I'm gone, Setsuna," Asuna said with a smirk. "I'll see you two in a bit."

She plucked an apple from a nearby bowl and slipped her shoes onto her feet in practiced motions. Carefully stepping around the two girls still tangled up on the floor, Asuna stepped outside the still open door and closed it behind her. It shut with a gentle click. Then she looked at the sky to gauge her next move.

The sky had just gotten dark, so she would have to hurry if she wanted to pick Negi up, grab some food and make it back in any reasonable amount of time. While Asuna would be a good sport and give the two girls some alone time, she drew the line for when it was time for bed. She would be back and ready for a bed time of eleven, regardless of any objections from her amorous roommate.

Thankfully, she was able to make good time. It seemed as though luck was with Asuna as nearly no one was walking the backstreets of Mahora that night. She devoured the juicy apple in her hand as she walked. The tiny bit of food would have to suffice until she was able to find something more substantive to eat.

Most of the shops and buildings along her route were closed and Asuna moved past their darkened windows at a brisk pace. It would have been a different matter if she had taken the downtown route like many of her classmates – that section would be packed at this time – but only Negi would be dumb enough to do that during a holiday season.

Asuna quickly came to where the city met the forest and tossed her devoured apple into a trash receptacle. It had been enough to quiet her growling stomach down. Only half an hour more of walking and she would reach her destination.

She passed by a crowded side road restaurant stand, noting its presence as a possible source of food on the way back. Then she did a double take when she saw the letters that marked its name.

It was the restaurant of her two classmates, the Chao Bao Zi! However, it was open far earlier than usual. An intense desire to go into it and order up a plate of delicious food warred with her burning need to find the brat and chew him out for ditching her without asking. She stood in the road, looking towards it as she tried to make up her mind.

Then a thought occurred to her. Could Negi have stopped by the restaurant before going to Eva's cottage? It was possible. If so, then maybe Chao or Satsuki had seen or spoken with him. Asuna scratched her head and thought about it as she stared at the sign. Yeah, the kid spoke to his students whenever he spotted one. It was definitely worth investigating.

Asuna walked over to where her two classmates manned their stand's counter among a crowd of people. It seemed as though everyone had already placed their orders and were just milling around until their food was ready. Mostly comprised of adults who had just finished their shifts, there were only a few people around Asuna's age in the area.

One of the few people their age, a blonde girl who looked to be of high school age, tried to engage Chao in conversation. Only to get completely blown off. Asuna frowned at the sight as the blonde went away in a huff. The Chinese braniac had never done that to someone as far back as Asuna could remember. The fun loving Chinese girl would always engage the people around her. Often in a way that, on a good day, would be called teasing. On a bad day it was more akin to the way a cat would play with a mouse.

With a frown still on her face Asuna made her way to the counter. With her classmate in an off mood she wasted no time on small chat and got right into their faces. "Hiya Chao. Hey there Satsuki. Mind if I ask you a few questions real fast?"

From her place at the restaurant's stove, the cherubic Satsuki shook her cloth covered head and kept her attention on the food cooking on the stove's surface. Asuna nodded at her reaction.

That was fair. The kindhearted girl was the chef after all and was busy making all of the orders. "Okay, I gotcha. Thanks anyway Satsuki." Asuna turned her attention to her other classmate. "How about you Chao? Got a moment?"

The exotic girl still did not respond. That annoyed Asuna. She did not like being ignored, and it was unusual for Chao to zone out. It was their other brilliant classmate, Satomi Hakase, who was supposed the absent minded scientist. Apparently the two girls had switched roles for the night, because Chao was currently giving the other scientist's typical identity a real go as she stared intently into the distance.

"Hey there, Earth to Chao," Asuna said as she snapped her fingers in front the other girl's eyes. No reaction. The other girl really was out of it. Asuna raised her hands up and brought them together in a clap next to her left ear as she tried yelling this time. "Come in there, roger, wilco, hello, hello."

Chao's head whipped around so fast that she must have gotten whiplash. A look of surprise was on the dark-haired girl's face. She looked around herself and gave a start. "Oh. My apologies there. I seem to have let my mind wander for a bit. Thankfully it is just you Asuna."

The Chinese girl patted her hair buns. After she visibly collected herself the girl gave her usual strange grin. "How can I help you, ne?"

Asuna stared at her and then shook her head in wonder. Mahora Middle School Class 3-A was full of people with eccentricities, but she really hoped that Chao was not absorbing Satomi's anti-social behavior. That would upset the balance between the vocal weirdos and the silent weirdos in their class. Maybe she could figure out what had caused the change in her behavior before the class erupted in chaos due to the change.

"Have you seen Negi-sensei tonight?" Asuna asked. "He was supposed to be showing his cousin Natsu around. You know, that older guy with pink hair that rode the train back with us from Kyoto. The two are really late in coming back for dinner, so I thought that I'd get the two of them before grabbing a bite to eat."

That may have been the wrong thing to say, for Asuna felt her stomach give a growl as soon as the words were out of her mouth. The smell of Satsuki's cooking was just as maddening as that of Konoka's. Both girls were incredible cooks, a skill that Asuna did not share in the slightest.

Maybe the apple she had consumed while walking was not enough after all. Her stomach gave a second growl as if to punctuate the thought. Asuna powered through it and went back to questioning her genius classmate.

"And if the brat teacher doesn't have a good reason for being so late," Asuna growled as she slammed a closed fist into an open hand, "I swear that I'll punch the little brat right out of his diapers and into puberty. He's not considering my stomach at all right now, the snot-nosed little runt!"

Chao laughed a little at the comment. "As much as I would like to see that happen-ne I don't believe that such a thing is possible even for you, Asuna. Besides, there's really no need to be so violent. You only missed them by two hours. Negi-bouzu and Natsu have already been here-ne. They picked up their food, bought some for Takahata-sensei as well, and then walked into the forest."

" _What?_ " Asuna screamed in rage. She clenched her hands into fists and pounded the stand's wooden counter top."You mean that little kid is eating food as I'm looking for him? And he's with _Taka_ _hata-sensei_ too _?_ "

The other girl nodded, still smiling her strange grin. "That is what I said, ne."

 _How dare he!_ Asuna screamed inside her head. Tears nearly ran down her face as she felt her eyes turn watery from the frustration. This unexpected development had cut her deeply, and Chao's chuckles at Asuna's apparent expense did nothing to ease her comfort at the kid's brazen betrayal. Not only was the boy late, but he was eating with Takahata-sensei in Mahora's scenic woodlands. Without even telling her that the older man was on campus!

She would have her vengeance. For the crimes of eating and spending time with Takahata-sensei without telling her, Asuna would hunt him down without mercy. His screams would strike fear into the hearts of ten year-old boys everywhere. Not even the immortal loli herself would be able to protect the doomed child from Asuna's righteous wrath.

But before she could set out on her path of righteous vengeance, or even get far in planning how she would punish the tiny teacher, Chao lightly touched Asuna's arm. "Before you leave to visit your wrath upon poor little Negi-bouzu, Asuna, I have a question of my own for you-ne. Would you mind answering it before you leave?"

The other girl's light tone snapped Asuna out of her funk. She was in Chao's debt for the information. A question or two answered in return was a small price to pay. "Sure thing Chao," Asuna answered grimly. "What can I do for you?"

The girl leaned away from the counter before speaking hesitantly. "I'm curious about the man who came with Negi-bouzu today, the one you mentioned just now." She pulled a paper fan from one of her sleeves and opened it with a quick snap of her wrist.

Raising it, Chao hid the lower half of her face behind it. Only her eyes were visible as she asked her question. "What can you tell me about Negi's cousin, Natsu?"

Asuna blinked as her mind went blank. Of all the questions to ask, why had the girl picked _that_ one? Because as far as questions went that was definitely a tricky one to answer. What was their cover story with Natsu again? It had something to do with travel, but Asuna could not remember the specifics.

"Um, well, you see..." Was he supposed to be a traveling businessman? No, that was definitely not right. The idiot's personality would put the lie to that suggestion in a heartbeat. Especially if someone like Chao were to spend half a minute in his presence.

Was he a fellow teacher come to help his little cousin out on the job? She had heard a bunch of girls in their class mentioning that on the train ride over. But nope, Asuna barely stopped a snort from popping out of her as Chao continued to stare from behind her fan.

Like hell Natsu would ever do something like that. The guy was way too active and impatient for something like studying or teaching. He seemed like the type of guy who was just some strong lunkhead that liked fighting and training.

Aha! That was it. Now Asuna remembered the cover story they had come up with for the pink-haired moron. Natsu was an athlete who had come to Mahora in order to further his training for some kind of multiple sport event. She did not remember exactly which sport he was supposed to be involved in, but that was not a big deal. If Chao asked then Asuna would kick it to Negi and say that he would be able to answer any questions about specifics.

She gave a malicious grin to herself and she did not care if Chao could see it too. Asuna had just figured out a way to have some fun with the cover story. Changing it up would serve the pink-haired pervert right.

"Well, he's definitely a moron, but that's only to be expected," Asuna began. "From what Negi told me the guy is training to become a world class athlete and supposedly heard that we had some great facilities and terrain out here from the kid. Natsu's a runner of some sort – or maybe it was martial artist or something, I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics – and while he's definitely got some talent he doesn't seem to be all that smart. I'm not sure which side of the family he's from but he's _nothing_ like Negi."

She then leaned in close so only Chao would hear the next bit. "And unlike sensei, Natsu's also a total perv. What you haven't heard is that he was naked when he met me and Sakurazaki in a forest by Konoka's house. I'm talking about naked as the day he was born, with only that white scarf of his hanging around his neck. And although he took off running he still hasn't apologized to either of us for it.

Asuna grunted sourly at that – she would wring out an apology from the man for doing that – before finishing her story. "The guy's got a hot body for sure but he is completely shameless. I heard that after Setsuna and I saw him he totally tried to grope Mana before she chased him off with Ku Fei's help. I'm telling you Chao, the guy is an enemy of women everywhere! You'll need to keep your guard up around him if you ever see him again, just to be on the safe side of things.."

The Chinese girl twirled the fan in her hands. She closed it in a snap with a flick of her wrist. "Is that so? Hm. Natsu seemed like quite the gentleman when he came by earlier-ne. We really seemed to make a connection with one another. I mean, he was just so firm and strong when he took me here." A pout came to her lips and her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I just don't know if I could take my innocent heart being played with if things are like you said."

Asuna vigorously nodded her head. Chao needed this talk for her own good. "It's the truth, Chao. I saw it with my own eyes. If you value your self-worth as a woman, you'll stay far away from him. If you get too close he'll try to do horrible things to you, I just know it."

So what if Asuna was taking it slightly out of context? Chao seemed to be paying rapt attention, giving Asuna a feeling of confidence in her piece of fiction she had never felt in her life. It was usually Misa or Misora coming up with these things as Asuna watched from the sidelines.

Besides, the man was keeping her from dinner, had joined Negi in keeping her away from Takahata-sensei, and actually did everything she was saying in one form or another. A little shading of the truth was an act of justice to save her fellow classmate from his dirty paws.

Then the full meaning of Chao's words made their way through Asuna's self-righteous haze and slammed home with the force of a thousand elephants. "Wait. _W_ _hat_ did you say just now? Did he do something to you too?"

She grabbed Chao by the shoulders and unconsciously shook the slim girl. "Chao, what did he do to you? Did he force you to do something that you didn't want to? Did he do something perverted? _Are you okay?_ " Chao's head bobbled violently as Asuna forcefully shook the girl's body. Somehow the genius was able to nod her head in assent at some point in the rapid fire questioning.

Asuna swore out loud and let go of the girl. "Damn that man! He moves fast," Asuna yelled to herself. "I knew that I shouldn't have let him out my sight. I just knew it! And what's worse is that he's with Negi, possibly infecting the innocent little idiot with his perversion just by being nearby. _Argh!_ "

At first Asuna had only been trying to get the older boy in hot water with her story. It had been a little harmless fun, and it was all true from a certain point of view. But Chao's words painted everything in a different light.

Could the story that Asuna have been weaving in jest be true? Was the man actually a true enemy of women, one who had actually fooled Asuna into thinking that he was just a simple moron? Between Chamo's unrelenting perversion and Negi's innocent, yet unending, flirting Asuna was already at her limit.

If Natsu truly was a pervert who was already trying to assault her classmates, then Asuna might have to change her focus. Chamo would have to take a back seat for once. The furry monstrosity was bad, but he could only do so much damage.

Chao's next sniffed words ended any thoughts Asuna had about making the switch in focus. "I merely engaged him and Negi-bouzou in conversation-ne," Chao was pouting as she spoke. Chao never pouted – ever. "But... after we exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a time, the man took me by the waist… and then… he claimed my maiden's kiss." The small girl gave a shudder. "It was so shocking that I couldn't move, ne. He was just so strong and powerful that I melted into his arms."

"That animal! That _beast_!" Asuna growled. He had fooled her completely and hurt one of Asuna's classmates. Forget about Negi. Forget about even Chamo. Those issues could wait until later as this new development took priority. Asuna's dropped her hands from Chao's shoulders as her mind grappled with the shock of what she had just heard. Her classmate regained her balance and moved back to her original position while Asuna wrestled with the revelation of Natsu's deed.

"When I find the two of them and Takahata-sensei, I am going to give Natsu a beating that he will never forget. I promise you, Chao, that I shall avenge your first kiss," Asuna muttered as she once again pounded a fist into an open palm. "I swear on my eternal love for Takahata-sensei the pink-haired pervert will rue the day he dared to assault one of my dear classmates."

Chao nodded her head solemnly as she moved the fan to cover her face once more. Her soft voice easily carried to Asuna's ears from behind the beautiful crafted tool. "Thank you, Asuna. I will be in your debt. Were it not for you I may not have known that Natsu was such a terrible person until was too late." The genuis then gave Asuna a forlorn smile as she fiddled with her fan. "I know that I can count on you to take care of things."

"Hell yeah!" Asuna promised. She turned and started to run into the forest, her mission clear. Only to halt her steps. She looked back at her classmate.

"Chao, even if we don't talk much, I'm here if you ever need me. 3-A sticks together forever." Asuna gave the other girl a bright grin. "See you in class! I'll let you know how everything goes next time we talk."

 **Page Break**

Chao watched Asuna jog into the forest. For all her faults, one could not say that a lack of athleticism was among them. The twin-tailed girl with heterochromia eyes moved fast for someone not aided by the use of magic.

Once the other girl was safely out of sight, Chao turned to Satsuki and whispered that it was time to close the shop. Satsuki gave a questioning look but did not dispute Chao's words. The girl merely nodded, finished the orders she was working on, and began to pack up for the evening.

The girl's ability to sense the mood and instinctively know how to respond was one of the things Chao truly loved about her. This joint business venture between them had been a pleasant surprise for Chao. One that she had not anticipated when she first came back in time. It had proven to be a boon to her plans, though, and she had no regrets about spending her time on it.

Letting Satsuki handle things inside the stall, Chao placed a 'closed' sign on the counter top and stepped away. The two girls would get together to analyze the results of the soft opening before the Festival and make any necessary arrangements at that time. Meanwhile, Satsuki would be able to handle the rest of the take down without any further assistance. The girl was incredibly competent in such matters.

This night had given Chao more important things with which to deal. Events and issues which now weighted heavily upon her brilliant mind. Chao pondered them as she made her way back to the dormitory assigned to her.

Meeting a new mage, one who was completely unmentioned within the future, was not exactly a surprise. Chao had discovered several such mages in her time at Mahora, and she had adjusted her plan to compensate for each one. It had not been much of an issue for the genius as the unknown mages had all been rather uninspiring individuals. History had failed to mention them for a reason.

But Natsu was different. Chao could feel it in her bones, and it was a feeling that had not just come from the man's decisive action in kissing her. No, it was a feeling that seemed to radiate from the young man's powerful frame. Even for one as lacking in magical talent as herself, the man's aura had been clear as day. Anyone who was like that was not to be trifled with or underestimated. He had the potential to disrupt her great plan. Something Chao found to be incredibly vexing.

Unbeknownst to her energetic classmate, the conversation with Asuna had been highly informative. While the girl had obviously exaggerated certain portions of the story where it concerned Natsu, it was not a waste of time. There had been useful nuggets contained within her words that Chao would enable Chao to learn more information. And learn it fast.

Most importantly, Asuna had confirmed Chao's suspicion that Natsu was no ordinary man. She doubted that he was related to her great ancestor – someone like that had never shown up in her family's registry even as a footnote – but at the very least he was a mage of some sort. One that seemed to focus on the physical aspects of things if his cover story meant anything.

It had been enjoyable to play with the other girl's head. Twisting the girl's own tale against her had been child's play. It had even enabled her to play the role of a crying damsel in distress, something that Chao had never thought she would have the opportunity to perform. She giggled to herself as she pictured the probable results of her actions while ignoring the stares from nearby people in the street.

Besides, her ancestor's erstwhile 'cousin' had seemed like a capable man. It took a certain something to catch Chao by surprise, something that he had accomplished that night in spades. Yet even so, both he and Negi-sensei should find their hands full when dealing with a vengeful Asuna. The orange-haired girl could be surprisingly inventive when it came to punishing those who, in her mind, had done wrong. The title of baka ranger truly suited her in more ways than one.

Chao reached her dormitory and slipped her key into the lock. It opened with a quick twist and push. The black-haired girl passed through the living area and soon entered her private room, where she sat down on a chair located close to her bed.

Once she was certain that she was alone and most likely safe from prying eyes, Chao pressed a secret button located on a nearby lampshade. The room's security protocols sprang to life with a soft hum as they swept the room for bugs. A soft ding signaled to let Chao know that the coast was clear and that the room had been secured from outside surveillance.

A sigh of relief left her lips. It was good that no other complications had arisen. She needed to obtain more information on this new addition to the playing board. Information that would be clear of bias and given in exhaustive detail.

She took out her custom made phone and punched in a number. The phone, something she and Hakase had come up with, was a marvel of technology. It was currently routing her call through more than a dozen carriers in multiple countries. All while simultaneously masking any suspicious metadata caused by the call as it forcibly encrypted it on both ends.

The other woman picked up quickly, and after a quick exchange of professional pleasantries got down to business. One promise of payment later and everything Mana knew about Natsu was passed along.

The mercenary girl was a goldmine of information. She had described his sudden appearance in a battle fought against demons. How the power of his flames that caused even berserk creatures to screech in pain. How he had managed to evade both Mana and Ku Fei in the woods, and of his abnormally high resistance to Mana's magic infused bullets when she had finally been able to track him down.

Each feat by itself was rather troubling and only confirmed her thoughts that he was not some no name mage. Combined, and it seemed as though the man would need to be dealt with before any complications could arise. Things were currently at a delicate juncture. A wrench thrown into her plan at this stage could ruin everything the time traveling genius had worked so hard to accomplish.

Then, almost as an afterthought, Mana dropped the bombshell of Natsu's origins with a quiet laugh. Chao felt her mind come to a momentary halt as it tried to process the information. Natsu was a trans-dimensional traveler? That was impossible. Or at the very least it was highly improbable. Chao had immediately expressed her doubts, but the mercenary on the other side of the phone merely laughed and said that even Evangeline herself had accepted it as fact.

That was the kicker. If Evangeline had accepted it then it was highly likely to be true. As highly improbable as it was to have both a time traveler and an inter-dimensional traveler pop up in the same place at the same time, that was the reality in which Chao lived. An annoyed 'tsk' had left her lips. Maybe she would need to look into the existence of some higher being, because with this event it felt like the universe was throwing a curve ball straight at her head.

The call came to a swift end after that tidbit of information had been revealed. Mana stated that she had no further information and that she expected to be paid in full within twenty-four hours. Chao had assented and thanked the girl for her cooperation. The call ended with a click, leaving Chao alone in the darkened room with nothing but her troubled thoughts.

Mana had given her necessary information but none of it boded well for her plan. The ramifications of trans-dimensional travel and all that it entailed exploded within Chao's mind. She raced through the theoretical possibilities and tried to draw practical conclusions from the examination. After a period of pondering the mathematical probabilities, she could only shake her head. Sometimes being a genius was a curse, as it did not allow her to merely say that something was truly impossible.

According to the rather rudimentary calculations she had just come up with, such travel was indeed possible. But it would take an immense amount of energy in order to achieve while requiring incredible precise calculations to pull off. The requisite calculations would most likely be on par with the intricacies of her own time travel calculations.

Meanwhile, the probability of something like that happening by accident was closer to zero than it was to one. Such an event would require even more power than a planned event, and she had no idea how one would survive it unshielded. And how would one know to shield themselves if they were not even planning on doing it in the first place?

Chao began to knead her aching head. The whole idea of Natsu's situation was maddening. From the theoretical improbability of his very existence to the existential yet highly probably threat he posed to her machinations.

And her own complicated feelings towards him were also mucking up the waters. Chao had not expected to receive her first kiss that night. Nor had she expected it to be as incredible an experience as it had turned out to be.

She had heard other girls talk about their first kiss. Some had been received in childish innocence. Others had been taken by accident, or been given by partner just as inexperienced as themselves. Most generally agreed that the moment was far more memorable than the actual kiss itself, which was almost universally panned as being terrible for one reason or another.

Not for Chao. The kiss Natsu had laid upon her lips had shot every form of higher thinking out of her mind into low orbit. The heat of his lips as they met her own. The way his strong arms had encircled her slim waist. The feeling of pressing herself into his chest as her arms snaked their way around his neck of their own accord. Each and every aspect of the kiss had utterly blown her mind and left her reeling for the next two hours.

Added to the other issues surround the man, and what it all meant was that he was no mere wrench in her plans. Oh no. Natsu was a raging volcano that had just gone off under Chao's feet and she was at a complete loss on how to deal with it. An unknown and powerful mage joining her Honored Ancestor was terrible in its own right, but it was worse than that.

Accidental trans-dimensional travel was fraught with repercussions. For all she knew Natsu was only one of many individuals to come from his world. There could be multiple powerful mages, in possession of unknown skills and abilities, all about to enter the picture at some unknown time and juncture. With their motivations, weaknesses, and possible means of neutralization all a mystery that her usual methods of investigating would be useless to pursue. They would have no internet footprint to uncover. Nor would her knowledge of the future help her in this case.

Everything about the man represented an unparalleled threat to Chao's goals. She would need to resolve it, and it would need to be done fast. Such a threat could _not_ be allowed to remain unknown. The man was present and would be dealt with one way or another. And in order to accomplish this new task in the limited time remaining, there was only one possible option available to the time traveling genius. Chao would need to deal with Natsu herself.

Her course of action chosen, Chao quickly dialed another number and lifted the phone to her ear. If she were to be taking a hands on approach to the issue that was Natsu, she would also need to delegate some of her other responsibilities. It was time to bring her other partner up to speed so that they might begin to modify their plan.

After a few rings the genius girl's call was answered with a perfunctory hello. Chao ignored it and got straight to the point. "Hakase, we've got a major snag in the plan. A new player has entered the board on the side of magic. And they did it as the result of accidental inter-dimensional travel."

She then had to yank the phone away from her ear as her co-conspirator's voice exploded in shock. She held it there for several seconds with an exasperated frown as Hakase's voice blasted through the speaker in an overjoyed squeal.

Regardless of their intelligence, sometimes there were drawbacks to announcing the existence of previously theoretical phenomena to a teenage scientist. "Ne, ne, Hakase. Calm down and focus. Yes, yes. I understand the implausibility of it – I went over the theoretical calculations before calling you – and I understand your excitement. We can go over the specifics of it soon."

She sighed as Hakase gave a sharp response. "Yes, I promise that we will. And no, I'm not just saying so to move the conversation along. The subject matter interests me too."

Apparently mollified for the moment, the other girl's voice quieted and gave Chao the opportunity to move back to the true point of her call. "The subject in question seems to have joined forces with Negi-bouzu. I did not view anyone else who I did not recognize but I cannot rule out their existence. There may additional people that I have yet to encounter who are also of unknown power and temperament. In order to deal with the situation I am asking that you take the lead in finishing our robot army. All of the major coding is done, and Chachamaru should be able to help you finish what remains prior to manufacturing them. I will be otherwise occupied as I will be undertaking direct observation of the subject myself. How does that sound to you?"

So began a long night of planning and theorizing. Chao's smile grew wider as she began to consider her next series of moves. The introduction of Natsu into the equation had the potential to be a game breaker. But the question remained as to whether he too would need to be neutralized, or if it was possible that he could be persuaded to stack the deck in her favor.

One could never have too many aces in the hole.

Unbeknownst to Chao, one of her hands reached up and began tracing the edge of her lips as she thought of the young man. She then started to hum softly to herself as she remembered the taste of his lips upon her own. A light blush dusted her cheeks once she realized what she was doing. Mixing pleasure with business was going to be a new, and interesting, experience for her.

 **Page Break**

Fire raged within the stone amphitheater as the hiss of melting ice echoed within its walls. A puddle began to form around Natsu's feet as he let his magic grow. The icy wetness seeped into the unfamiliar shoes he had been given back in Kyoto. It did not bother him. His entire being was focused on the small figure in front of his eyes and the impending conflict between them.

The woman's eyes had shifted from their usual emerald to a light crimson. The dragon-slayer could make out the tips of fangs elongating beneath her lips, and her scent had changed from anger to unadulterated fury. Her strange smell burned in his nose, making his body start to itch. There was something odd about it, but investigating it would need to wait until later.

A slight tightening of the skin around his neck was the only warning he had before he was unable to breath. The woman had cast some sort of spell without him noticing and it had even managed to pierce his body's natural layer of magic resistance. Natsu threw it off with a quick flex of his own magic and stood unflinching.

No amount of force, great or subtle, would ever make him bow his head to an opponent on its own. He would need to be dead or unconscious before that ever happened. A growl rumbled its way from deep within his chest as she stayed still.

Well. If she was not willing to make the first move, then he would be more than happy to get the party started.

Natsu took a deep breath and gathered magic within his body. " _Fire Dragon's Roar!_ "

" _Sagitta Magica: 313 arrows of Darkness and Ice!_ "

A giant cloud of black lines burst from her right hand and sped toward his molten torrent. The two streams of magic impacted with an ear shattering roar, tearing up pieces of stone and sending them flying through the air. Natsu blinked his eyes from the resulting cloud of dust before quickly reopening them.

He looked around but couldn't find her form. "Come on Eva," he taunted. "We're just getting warmed up here. That sure wasn't enough to put me down for the count." Natsu cracked the knuckles of both hands. "Besides, if ya can't take the heat then ya shouldn't have poked the dragon."

A chuckle reached his ears through the air. The laugh sounded as though she was right next to him but it did not sound right. He could also hear her voice coming from another part of the resort that was much further away from his position.

"So the lost child thinks himself a sleeping dragon of fire? My, how _grand_ you are in your delusions. To think yourself a creature of such might and power that even I must tread lightly in its presence." Her echoing laugh redoubled in intensity. "How pathetically adorable of you."

The cloud of dust and smoke had cleared but Natsu still couldn't see her. That laugh was beginning to get on his nerves. He gave a growl of irritation as he tried to focus on the fainter echo. It was coming from much further away. If he could keep her talking then he could pinpoint her location and beat her face to a pulp.

"Keep running yer mouth scaredy cat. I don't see ya anywhere nearby." Natsu let a cocky note enter his voice as he sniffed the air. "Did I scare yer old bones a little too much when I roared? I'll try to pull my punches a little so I don't break you in our fight."

When he did not hear a quick reply to his taunt Natsu pumped a fist in victory. First blood went to him. Served the scaredy cat right for running away.

"You truly are an idiot, aren't you?" Eva's voice grated in his ears when she finally responded to him. Yeah, he had definitely managed to get under her skin. "Do you really think that I would fight you in the middle of my own home after seeing your fighting style? You, a moron who has no care or respect for what he breaks? Ha! I think not."

Natsu listened to the echo intently and began to move towards one of the amphitheater's blank walls. The amphitheater was making it more difficult but he was close to pinpointing her location. Luckily for him the woman seemed to enjoy the sound of her own voice.

"I am more than ready to fight you, _baby_ dragon, but I've chosen a different setting for our little duel."

 _Dammit!_ Why did his opponents always place conditions on fights? Zero and his ego. Erigor and his train station of hostages. Jellal and his end of the world nonsense. Erza and her 'first you must prove yourself' crap. It was like there was some giant conspiracy to try and cheat him out of a good fight, and now it seemed like that conspiracy managed to cross worlds.

"You can find me on the beach," Eva's voice purred. "As long as you aren't frightened of getting a little bit of sand in your eyes. I promise to have a box of tissues nearby should you start crying."

The echoes of her voice faded as Natsu's scowl grew deeper. His flames raged in an inferno of fire that surrounded him, and he was vaguely aware of the others flinching away from the sheer heat roiling off of his body in waves.

Natsu Dragneel, Igneel's son and the dragon-slayer of fire, scared by a little girl who had just run away from _hi_ _m_? Who had thought that freezing his entire head in a block of ice just an hour ago was a good idea? Oh, it was on now. He was going to pulverize the demented girl. Then he was going to make her apologize to Gray for attacking him and ingrain in her why it was never a good idea to anger a mage of Fairy Tail.

He sniffed the air once more and finally picked up her scent. It was coming from the same direction as the echoes. A feral grin settled onto his features. "You picked a fight with the wrong guy, scaredy cat. And I ain't gonna take it easy on ya either."

A blast of fire created a hole in the wall of the amphitheater. He stepped through it as fire played over his body.

 **END**

 **A/N:** Yep. That's right. I've now teased the fight between Eva and Natsu for a second chapter in a row. But it was done for a purpose. Back in the original version of this fic, this chapter was combined with the fight chapter. However, upon review, I feel like it's better this way. That way the focus on the chapter is on Asuna and Chao, two characters who will each have large roles to play in the story. That then let me split off the big fight so that it can have your undivided attention.

As a minor aside, I usually spend a good amount of effort on choosing a chapter's title. It often involves a simple theme (like chapter 1), and can sometimes be a double play on meaning with an allusion to something else thrown in (like chapter 6). There is a lot going on with this chapter's title. Kudos to anyone who can figure it all out.

To the comment section!

 _Konoka Kon_ _oe_ _:_ I don't have much to say about Konoka. She suffered from critical lack of development in Negima canon. As a result she always felt rather two dimensional to me in contrast to her romance interest, Setsuna, who was fleshed out beautifully. Which is odd, since Konoka was one of the very first characters introduced to us and had all sorts of special abilities/heritage (magical heritage, super high magic potential, ridiculous healing ability, etc…). Just one of the many oddities and missed opportunities that was present in Negima canon.

However, this will be one oddity that I will not be fixing in my story. While I do have plans for her, I have no need for two young girl healers sharing the spotlight in my plot. And I happen to like Wendy _far_ more than I do Konoka, so Wendy will be the one who is placed front and center.

 _Asuna Kagurazaka:_ I like Asuna. She's a fun, kind young woman who is riddled with insecurities. These insecurities affected how she saw the world in canon (her crush on Takamichi, her overly tsundere nature, her desire to help Negi – and other close friends – come hell or high water) and are wonderful to have from a writer's perspective. Just expect her to mature faster than she did in canon and to change in new ways too.

 _S_ _etsuna Sakurazaki:_ Here is another Negima girl that I really enjoy to write and read about. Setsuna is just _fun_. She's so serious and somber that you can't help but poke fun at her. While her attitude does make sense – a naturally serious disposition + fear of rejection from her friends and peers due to her half-breed heritage + her repressed feelings for Konoka and the possible rejection of society/shame they might bring upon Konoka were she to embrace them – there is just something about the character that makes me enjoy her. Setsuna is not stupidly angsty like Sasuke Uchiha, nor is she creepily obsessed with the object of her affections like Nina from Code Geass (the scene where Nunally walks in on her in the dark _still_ creeps me out all these years later), in spite of traits or events which could have lead Setsuna to go down either one of those other paths.

I respect Setsuna as a character more than almost any other in Negima canon and _really_ wish that we had gotten more resolution on her. I have two big plans in mind for the girl. One might cause you readers to cheer me on. The other… might bring out the uglier side of the flamers just like my first chapter did. But I'll still do it anyway.

 _Natsu's Cover Story :_ _Please_ tell me that none of you expected me to make him into a teacher or teacher's assistant. Natsu is a great guy, a hero even, but he is _not_ someone who should be put in charge of educating anyone. _Ever!_ Even if said class is literally filled with all types of odd beings, from ghosts and ancient vampires to high demons and time travelers.

Saying that he is an athlete who has come to Mahora gives him plausible excuses for a) why he is always training and getting hurt, b) why he looks ripped, and c) why he doesn't know as much as his 'smart cousin' Negi. Natsu's focus is on the physical side of things whereas Negi's is on the mental.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Hermione Granger is Stupid_ by Ruinus. Contrary to what the name might suggest it is absolutely not a bashing fic. It is a HermionexHarry story set in an AU year 6. In it, Hermione realizes that she is in love with Harry early on in the year and proceeds to go about winning – and keeping – her love. It's a wonderful and complete story that is quite long. Highly recommended for those who want to read something relatively light on action but high on character interaction. It is also told from Hermione's perspective, which is a nice change of pace from the Harry-centric viewpoints common within fan fiction.

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	11. Natsu vs Eva

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 11**

 **Natsu vs Eva**

Eva watched as the pink-haired fool made his way towards her. The man had found her location rather fast. She had thought that he would take time to find her when she setup a chair to lounge in on the beach of her resort.

It was pleasant surprise when the young fire mage had shot down to it from the heights of her resort in a fiery flash. He had hit the golden sand in an explosion of flames, turning the area into an expanse of charred glass as his magic ran wild.

The other three men had not been nearly so flashy in their own descent. Eva had watched with with a certain amount of amusement as the boy's friend, Gray, had conjured a slide of magical ice. She had noticed during their own fight that her fellow ice mage never once took to the air. She idly wondered if that was a weakness shared by his companion. If so, she would make sure to exploit it in the coming fight.

He was soon joined by the boya and Takamichi. Those two had employed flight magic and descended slowly. Eva shot the big man a glare and received a nod in response.

Good. Without any interference from Takamichi Eva would be able to savor the coming fight to her heart's content. While Gateau's star pupil would lose should things ever come to blows, fighting him would prove to be horribly inconvenient. They had established a truce several years ago that had borne fruit for each of them and it would be annoying to sever it prematurely. Yet so long as he stood on the sidelines their truce would remain unaffected.

The only thing she would have to do in return would be to hold back from killing the pink-haired fool. Killing the young man for his offenses would be crossing Takamichi's bottom line. Takamichi's own look had intimated as much, and Eva had no doubt that Negi's opinion would be much the same. Only worse, as he would no doubt be more than a little displeased were Eva to take an arm or a leg from Natsu as recompense.

How annoying. But she pushed the thought to the side. The three men were holding back where they would be out of the way. Any further thoughts would be useless and only serve to help her opponent. The pink-haired fool was coming to give her a down payment on what he owed and she was more than happy to collect.

Give the man credit for being brave. He knew what she was. She had even given him a little taste of what would await him in this fight. Still the man strode towards her. Without hesitation in his steps or fear in his eyes.

Perhaps the hatchling dragon could back up his bark with a little bit of bite. It only serve to make his defeat all the more enjoyable.

The man stayed silent as he walked towards her location. Every movement he made from the sway of his hips, to the posture of his back and the positioning of his arms were captured by her gaze. Nothing escaped her eyes, and it all lead to one inescapable conclusion.

This was not his first fight. It was not even his first fight against an opponent he knew to be stronger than himself. His confident gaze shouted that he did not care. That he would find a way to beat her no mater the odds he faced.

Everything about him hinted at a deep familiarity with battle that was rare in someone so young. Take the young Springfield's class. Most of the class was only several years younger than the dragon-slayer. Yet perhaps only the battle-hardened Mana could match him in terms of experience. Neither the half-breed swordswoman, odd little Ku Fei, or the little ninja girl Kaede were anywhere close to possessing the air of assurance that Natsu gave forth as he strode towards his clash.

A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. The coming fight would be _enjoyable_ after all.

Enjoyable enough that the anticipation of it made her want to prolong it. Battles were waged on more than just the physical and magical levels. And despite his incredible potential, the Springfield boy had been such a bore when it came to their own duel.

"So the lost baby dragon wants to play with me after all," Eva purred from her seat. Natsu gave no reaction to her words, but that was no deterrent. Her words would draw blood soon enough. "What would drive a spoiled little child such as yourself to fight someone so far above them? It's not just a strain of masochism is it? No, that would be far too simple."

Eva continued to observe him as he moved closer. Natsu's movements indicated that the man would be a close quarters combatant. Whatever style he used was not familiar to her, but that was to be expected given his origins. Their two worlds might share some similarities, but it was highly unlikely that martial styles would be among them.

Judging by the impact she had felt upon the young man's landing he also possessed incredible physical strength. Far in excess of what his admittedly sturdy frame would suggest. Eva would need to keep her distance or strike him where he least expected it if she wanted the fight to last. A straight up hand to hand battle might cause her blood-lust to rise without control. It would be a terrible waste of a good opportunity if she broke him too early.

"Did I make you mad when I placed you in timeout? Or is it that you wish to avenge your friend's three days of suffering in this very place?" She peered around and pointed towards a nearby rock. "You know, I believe that he almost died at that location towards the end of the first day. One of the Chachas managed to ambushed him from the water as he tried to find a boat. He received a slice along the side of his neck and one across his left arm before he managed to recover himself."

Not a muscle twitched out of place on the man's body. Natsu's breathing remained even and his gait stayed smooth as he neared. It seemed as though he would be a tough nut to crack.

How marvelous.

"Neither of those are the issue? Hm. Then I wonder what it could ever be," Eva mused. "If it is not the present then it has to be the past. Perhaps there is a tragedy lurking there, hidden beneath the surface. Something great enough to fray your nerves and drive you to acts of recklessness. Something that would wound you to your core and affect your mind beyond your ability to consciously control."

Eva brought her fingers together as she stared at him over their elegant steeple. "The question, though, is what. I doubt that it is the loss of a lover as you do not have that air about you. Nor is it the loss of a country, or something else of a violent nature. You lack the focus of an avenger or the burning anger of a victim."

She hummed to herself as she fell quiet. So far none of her bait had drawn a bite from the man and he had nearly made it to her. It would be a waste of all her effort if she was unable to get a rise from him.

Then the section of last night's talk about his friends came to mind. Specifically, the conspicuous lack of any parental figure mentioned beyond the elderly guild master. Eva made a guess and drew a conclusion from it. "Ah. I see now. It is that you were abandoned as a child."

Natsu's left eyelid twitched at her statement. Eva felt her eyes begin to glow crimson. Finally a reaction!

It was time to go for the throat.

"You not only feel the pain of being separated from your friends, but feel as though you have _abandoned_ them," she hissed to him as he neared. "And guess what, little _hatchling_?" Her eyes glittered as she spoke. "You did."

The young man's roaring attack was telegraphed all over his features. " _Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!_ "

Eva stood from the chair and slid to her left with a quick _shundou_ , dodging the young man's fiery headbutt as she moved in a blur of motion. Doing so placed her in the perfect position to take advantage of his foolish opening. A blade of energy formed around her hand that she brought down with a slashing blow. " _Ensis Exsequens!_ "

* * *

Asuna gasped as she stepped through the broken door and entered Evangeline's cabin. Her Pactio fan was soon held in her hand. It's comforting weight feeling very necessary as she looked around the once neat house.

The place looked as though several rival gangs of Yakuza had broken into the place and tried to settle their differences on the spot. Bits of and pieces of broken furniture lay scattered about the house. Small blotches of what looked like blood were spattered in more than one place. And the smell of burned hair made the girl wrinkle her nose in distaste.

"Eva? Chachamaru? Is anyone home?" Asuna called out into the still air. No one answered her. She moved deeper within the torn up dwelling, holding her fan in a tight grip. "Takahata-sensei? Negi?" Still no one answered her. "Natsu? Is anyone here?"

She moved from room to room, trying to find some sign of their presence. No matter where she searched, though, she was unable to find a sign of anyone else. The only bright side was that the devastation she had seen was actually quite limited in scope.

The living room and entrance way were the worst off from whatever had happened. From what Asuna could tell using her knowledge of having watched a crime show or three, it looked as though some kind of struggle had taken place in the cabin's entrance way. The trail of destruction led from it into the living room, where it seemed to have stopped.

The bedroom at top of the stairs was unaffected, as was the entire second level. Actually, it felt as though no one had been in the room for days. And that bothered Asuna.

There had been plenty of time since their return from Kyoto for the diminutive vampire to return and relax in the comfort of her own home. With such a spoiled attitude, Asuna would have thought it to be the first thing Eva did upon departing from the train station. Seeing the place half untouched and half demolished was beyond odd. The whole thing raised the hair on the back of her neck.

Asuna continued her search. She combed her way through the entire structure, looking to find some trace of either the vampire or the three men who were supposed to have been meeting with her. The search ended in front of the only fully intact door on the cabin's ground floor.

A slight tingle buzzed against her skin when she neared it. The feeling was something she was starting to associate with the presence of magic, and only magic of a certain strength. Curious as to what might be causing it, Asuna opened the door and peered inside. With any luck she could find a clue as to the whereabouts of the others.

What appeared before her eyes was a steep wooden staircase going into some kind of basement. With zero lighting to guide her steps.

Now _that_ was not ominous at all. Oh no. Not in the slightest.

"Of course the only remaining area to search in a vampire's home would be a staircase descending into the basement. Clothed in absolute darkness, no less," the girl muttered to herself as she placed one hand on the nearby wooden rail. "I swear, if something pops out and attacks me down there then I am going to _kick_ Negi's ass so hard that even his great, great, great grand kids will feel it."

After a moment's pause, wherein she chewed her bottom lip intensely, Asuna took the plunge and descended.

* * *

" _Nivus Casus!_ "

" _Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!_ "

Natsu gritted his teeth as the concussive force from the two spells colliding with one another ripped through his body. The space between him and his opponent roiled in a storm of fire and ice as the air was torn asunder by a thunderous roar.

The sheer force of the blast sent the dragon-slayer flying backwards in an uncontrollable spin. His back slammed into the sandy beach, forcing him to grunt as he turned the remaining momentum into a flip. Natsu landed on his feet in a shower of sand as the last remnants of the elemental explosion faded into nothingness.

That attack of his had been strong to bust through any of Gray's creations. Yet instead of punching through and sending Eva flying, it had only been able to nullify the vampire's own icy attack. The girl's ice wasn't anywhere close to being as powerful pound for pound but she could summon up more of it in an instant than Gray could in an entire year. If Natsu gave her any room to pull back, the vampire came up with big spells like that one that forced him to pull out the big guns.

Being forced to use his big spells defensively was infuriating. Natsu was used to being the one on the attack, even when his opponent outclassed him. Heck, Jellal had shot off his mouth their entire fight in the Tower of Heaven while Natsu tried to punch his smug face into smithereens. But no. It seemed like the vampire had gotten all of her talking out of the way before the fight even began. Now the damn girl was seemingly content to disappear and reappear at will, tossing massive blocks of ice through the air or slashing at him with her sword hand.

Natsu peered through the haze of smoke and mist drifting through the air. So far the fight had taken them from the seaside portion of her resort, back to the top, and now back down again. Natsu preferred their current location as the clear beach gave her little room to hide. The only downside was the salty breeze interfered with his sense of smell, sometimes making him waste critical moments as he determined her proximity through the strength of her scent.

A flash of movement to his right grabbed Natsu's attention. It was just enough to save his hide as Eva was on him in a blur of movement, stabbing at his chest with that damn energy sword shooting out of her hand. _Gray's got to be sitting_ _over_ _there watching in jealousy_ , Natsu thought as he read her incoming attack. _His ice blades have_ nothing _on that thing._

The dragon-slayer dodged the girl's first two swipes with a sway of his body and counterattacked with an exploding left fist. Only to grunt in pain as a third blow nicked his chest. The woman grinned as her sword bit home.

The girl's feral grin made him growl. He wanted nothing more at this moment than to wipe that smug look off of her face. He knew that look. It was the exact same one he got whenever he landed a particularly good blow onto the body of his own opponents.

She moved like no one he had ever seen. Dodging her first two blows just now had taken every ounce of speed and flexibility he possessed and she had still managed to hit him. The vampire was also using some trick to go faster than his eyes could follow, as the ancient girl vanished from right in front of him.

A sudden displacement of air behind his neck caused him to throw his body to the ground and roll to his right. Natsu continued the roll as the woman's scent filled his nostrils. The faint hum of her sword stabbing sand came from where he had just been standing.

This was the third time she had used that particular move, and the bloody gash down his back from the first time was a constant reminder as to just how painful the sword's bite could be when coupled with that damn technique.

Natsu completed his roll and hoisted his body up on both arms to deliver a flaming, spinning kick that caused her to back off and buy him some time away from that damn sword. He flipped himself upright and gathered flames in his left arm. " _Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!_ "

" _Sagitta Magica: 101 Arrows of Ice!_ "

The two spells collided, sending a cloud of steam into the open air. The dragon-slayer punched at the vampire's blurry figure. She caught it with the palm of her hands. Then she tried to turn into a hold and twist his arm out of his socket. Natsu countered by pulling her in close and attempting to knee her in the stomach.

The two of them continued to exchange blows in a flurry of attack and counterattack. Natsu was able to land a punch on her right shoulder with a satisfying crack. The vampire wavered for a moment before her other hand was able to chop into the side of his neck like a woodcutter hacking at a tree. They finally broke apart when Natsu slammed a solid kick that swept her legs out from under her, followed up with a massive uppercut that sent the girl flying across the beach.

As Natsu looked at his opponent through the hazy cloud in which he stood, the dragon-slayer tried to take stock of his options. The only reason he had managed to avoid being turned into a diced ice sculpture was thanks to his many fights with Erza and Gray, but it could not go on forever.

Every time he thought he had her she disappear or let loose a blast of those magic arrows to counter whatever he threw. Her big spells seemed to take longer to cast, but the damn arrows sure packed a punch when she put enough of them together. Then, whenever he was able to lock her into close quarter combat, the girl went pound for pound with him like only Laxus or Gajeel could do back in the guild.

Natsu flicked off a bead of blood from a cut above his eye before it could drip into his vision. For a moment, he saw Eva's eyes track the streak of crimson as she licked her lips. Yeah, she was a vampire alright. Only a vampire or a psychopath would lick their lips like that at the sight of blood.

It was time to change things up. "Alright, enough with the warm-ups," Natsu called out as the steam cleared up. "I think that I've got a handle on that disappearing trick of yours, and that frickin sword won't be able to save your tiny ass for long."

He clenched his fists and slammed them together in a shower of sparks to pump himself up. "So let's get this party rockin' already!"

Across the way from him, Eva summoned her energy sword and motioned him forward. The vampire's teeth gleamed in the resort's morning light as she bared her fangs in his direction.

Now _that_ was an invitation if he had ever seen one. And Natsu would not be himself if he were to let it go unanswered. The dragon-slayer threw himself at his opponent in an all-out attack.

The energy sword gave the vampire an extended reach over his fists that, when combined with her ability to disappear at will, limited his options. The key to beating that combination started with keeping her too occupied to start it in the first place.

" _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_ " Natsu led off with a blast of fire from his right fist. The blast shot towards the vampire, who moved her sword to block it. He followed it up with a fiery spinning kick that slammed into the sword from a lower angle, pushing her arm up and to the side. A wide eyed look came onto her face as he closed the distance. Natsu lit his hands aflame as he stepped into range.

" _Fire Dragon's Crushing Claw!_ " With his hands ablaze, Natsu launched a furious series of swipes at the vampire. With him in close and her sword hand out of the picture, Eva was forced to block what blows she could with her free hand. She was not fast enough to block everything, and Natsu landed more than a few hits on her tiny form before she was able to disengage and jump back.

A laugh bubbled from Eva's lips as he tried to close back in. "So the hatchling has a bite after all. Quite impressive." The vampire flung a small number of dark arrows at his head without chanting, forcing him abandon his charge and twist violently in order to avoid them. "But not impressive enough. Now, show me what you can _really_ do. _Iaculatio Grandinis!_ "

Natsu met the summoned spears of ice with his flaming hands. He swiped the tips from a few before crushing the rest in a head on confrontation. Then he took a deep breath before flaring his magic power around him to vaporize their broken remnants. Some of the steam got into his eyes, forcing him to close them in order to get it out.

His eyes blinked open just in time to see her disappear. Natsu grinned. By now he had caught onto her pattern. And oh boy was he going to let her have it.

Natsu flung an arm out to his left, catching Eva by surprise just as she reappeared. Natsu grabbed the petite vampire by her wrists, twisting the one with the energy sword until it could not be used against him.

A grunt escaped her mouth as he gave both of her arms an extra twist for good measure. "No disappearing this time, little scaredy cat," he said softly. The look of frustration on her face as she tried to use her surprisingly powerful strength to break free was worth every hit he had absorbed from her prior to this moment.

Then Natsu clenched his free hand into a fist and buried it deep within Eva's stomach. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs, and the ancient vampire went limp within his hold. He cocked his arm back for another blow. "Now it's time to pay for insulting my friends, myself and beating my guild-mate within an inch of his life."

He slammed his fist into her stomach and heard her cough. The sound of something wet hitting the sand reached his ears. "Because this is what you need to understand. When you did those things, you managed to piss off a member of the worst guild there is to anger. And whenever a member of Fairy Tail gets this pissed off, there's only one way to pay off a debt. It's by accepting your punishment and by admitting that you are sorry. Now feel this fully fledged dragon's wrath."

Fire gathered in his hand as Natsu once again drew his fist back for another punch. Only this time he would be holding nothing back. " _Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!_ "

The point blank attack picked Eva's body up and tore her out of his grasp. He could feel his blazing knuckles burn through her clothing and impact the soft flesh beneath. Flames covered her body as they fed off her thin clothing.

Natsu stared dispassionately as her body flew through the air. One of Igneel's more serious lessons repeated itself within his head as he kept his eyes glued for any sign of a counterattack.

A dragon was a creature of power and majesty. Should their ire be raised, a dragon's wrath was not intended to be pleasant. No. A dragon's wrath was intended to maim and to kill. It was meant to be a lesson to others. So that other potential foes could see the results and know that this fate would be theirs should they too anger the dragon.

For most of his foes, Natsu chose not to let loose such power. It would be cruel for him to treat every opponent as a bug to be squashed. Most of of them, like that fire mage from Phantom, did not deserve it. While most of the ones who did, like the old Gajeel or Jellal in the Tower of Heaven, were able to take the punishment with few permanent affects. Only the memory of what the dragon-slayer was capable of when truly moved to anger would remain. As would the feeling of his flaming fists pounding into their bodies.

Eva slammed into the sea with an enormous splash. A hiss of steam filled the air, extinguishing the flames which still covered her small form from his last blow.

For a time Natsu just stood and watched the area where her body had hit. He swiveled his eyes along the beach as well. The blows he had landed on her just now would not be enough to end this fight.

Then Natsu felt his knees buckle as a tiny hand knifed into one of his kidneys. The resulting pain nearly drove him to his knees. He could only clutch at his side with one hand as he tried to stumble away from his attacker.

"That's enough out of you for the moment," Natsu heard Eva hiss through the cloud of pain in his head. "I might have been asking for it, but we won't be repeating that again anytime soon. I will not make the same mistake twice."

Natsu continued to clutch at his side with one hand as he tried to twist around to face her. " _Fire Dragon's -_ "

Eva never gave him a chance to complete his attack. A hit to the side of his skull caused stars to appear in front of his eyes. A wave of vertigo followed, sweep through his stomach and making him lose his balance. Natsu felt his legs give out. He fell to his hands and knees on the dry sand beneath him.

"While I have your undivided attention, let me congratulate you. Most dragons that I have encountered have much weaker flames than the stuff you just hit me with. And trust me, that is no small compliment."

Natsu forced out a chuckle at her words. Whatever dragons might live in this world, _none_ of them could compare to the flames of Igneel. It would have been criminal of Natsu to let his father down by allowing his own flames to lose in comparison.

Then her next words made Natsu feel a tingle of fear for the first time since the fight began.

"But no more trying to draw things out. I think that I have had my fill of you for the time being. Now it is time for you to learn your place like the insect you are."

All this time, she had been taking it easy on him? That was not possible. He could not believe it.

Then a blow crashed into his side. Followed by a second to his stomach and a third to his face. The hits kept coming as Eva piled the blows on faster than he thought possible, with each one containing the force of a sledgehammer swung by Elfman. Any thought of her taking it easy on him flew out of Natsu's head as he felt his body flying through the air from the force of her attacks.

His body flipped and gyrated through the sky as she used him in place of a punching bag. Natsu could feel his body begin to move one way. Then a fist or foot or some other part of the vampire's body was there to meet it and send it flying in some other direction. It was a beating like he had never before received.

No one he knew in Fiore could do something like this. Not Jellal for all his speed. Or even that old guy from Grimoire Heart. Neither one could hit with either the speed or the force currently being displayed by the vampire in her pissed off state.

Natsu lost track of the blows after the eighth combo. Darkness stated to creep in at the edges of his vision as the world continually moved from the rain of hits leveled against his body. Each new blow threatened to send him crashing over the edge. It was to the point where Natsu could feel his teeth rattling in his head anytime one of her slim fists connected to his upper body.

The thunderous hits began to reach a crescendo. Natsu powered through the pain, forcing himself to stay aware through sheer will. He _would not_ let her beat him into unconsciousness. Not when he had yet to play his trump card and still had fight left in him.

With a final volley of blows, the vampire allowed Natsu's body to fall limply to the sand. The impact from the fall was almost gentle in comparison. His back lay against the warm softness of the sand, and he shut his eyes for a moment to marshal his strength.

Above him, Natsu could hear Eva breathing, lightly winded from her recent exertion. But lightly winded was far better than how his body felt after being swatted around like a volleyball for the past minute.

Now was probably a good time to use his final ability before she hit him with anything else. "Nap time's over," he muttered under his breadth.

Natsu opened his eyes and slowly climbed to his feet. Every _inch_ of his torso felt as though it were on fire. The shirt given to him by Negi and the girls was in absolute tatters, allowing him to see dozens of areas where the imprints of tiny knuckles had left reddened marks on his thick skin. His back did not feel to be any better. By his best guess, he would probably be feeling the pain of those hits for well over a week.

Yet the only indication he gave of the pain he felt was a single crack of his neck and a flex of his arms. Then he settled into his basic stance and summoned his final technique.

" _Lightning Flame Dragon Mode._ "

* * *

Asuna stood before some type of weird diorama, in a room located deep under Eva's cabin. The thing was rather large. Definitely bigger than anything she had made for a school project. More detailed too. The thing contained a gorgeous stone complex of some kind, surrounded by sand and water while it perched on an outcropping of stone like something out of a Greek myth.

"Definitely magical," Asuna muttered to herself. "That thing is way to complicated to be something Eva made for a school assignment. And no way in hell is that glow made from technology. Not unless Chao or Hakase are involved, and I'd like to see either of them in Eva's basement."

A strand of hair moved across her face. She blew it out of her eye as she continued speaking to herself. "Fat chance of that ever happening. The two of them probably don't even believe in magic. And if they did, they'd probably write the whole thing off as some kind of weird natural energy thingy. Or maybe something more science-y sounding, I don't know. That's something for smarter people than me to figure out."

She placed her hands on top of the thing and placed an eye against it. Every now and then she thought she saw signs of something moving within it, but the things were gone the moment she focused her attention on them. "They probably barely know that Eva's even in our classroom. Let alone that she's one of the most powerful magic users alive. I sure didn't, and I'm way more involved with our whacked out teacher and his stupid magic shenanigans than either one of those two science nutsos."

As Asuna continued to mumble to herself about her crazy classmates and the beating Natsu deserved for harassing one of them, she eventually noticed a specific spot on the floor. This spot seemed to be the source of the glow.

It was some kind of inscribed circle. The thing was filled with geometric shapes and lines running through it, all coming together in some kind of pattern in the center of the circle. Asuna squatted down so she could get a better look at it.

Upon closer inspection it looked like the same type of circle that Negi had used to summon her and Setsuna to his location back in Kyoto. Sure Asuna could not remember what it looked like exactly, but it _seemed_ close enough. Probably. Or at least hopefully, because if that was not the case then her next move might be really dumb.

Asuna placed a foot on it. Then she closed her eyes as a flash of light surrounded her body.

When she opened them once more, the teenage girl found herself standing on a mist-shrouded platform at the end of a narrow bridge. "W-Wh-What the hell?" Asuna gasped. "What just happened? Where am I?"

Her head swiveled around like an owl's as she tried to figure out what had happened. She really had been teleported somewhere. Only she had no idea where the place might be, and was suddenly not sure that stepping into the circle had been a good idea. She gave a small cry of pain as her neck twisted too far.

In her sudden panic, Asuna ran to the platform's edge without looking. She was barely able to stop her momentum when she realized that what lay beyond the platform's edge was nothing but open air. "Holy crap! There's no barrier. There's really no barrier. I almost killed myself just now!"

She fell onto her rear and scrambled away as quickly as she could manage. Her heart pounded within her chest as she considered the likely result of what would have happened had she not stopped herself in time. Then her fear turned to anger at whomever was responsible to making this place.

"Seriously, there aren't any handrails? Anywhere? Didn't the frickin architect ever hear of user safety? Or death by falling from a very steep height?" Asuna winced as she rubbed her backside. "Damn whoever made this place. Damn stupid shiny teleportation magic. And damn fantasy architects everywhere!"

Getting the frustration out of her helped to calm her beating heart. More cautious after nearly falling over the edge, Asuna approached it once again. She moved slowly, making sure to stay on her hands and knees. Peering over the platform's lip, she looked down into the mist below. There was not much that she could make out.

What looked like water and a big building somewhere ahead of her. Along with a few flashes of light that were followed by rumbling noises she could feel in her chest. The noises echoed in the foggy air, almost as though in the mist below some colossal force moved in its sleep. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck raise again as the now familiar tingle of magic began to increase.

Then it dawned upon her. The cold feeling of realization as to where she had now found herself.

"The damn circle brought me into the thing," Asuna breathed softly. Then her natural sarcasm overwhelmed her awe. "That's just fantastic. Now how on Earth do I get out of this place? And where are Takahata-sensei, the idiot Negi, and that damn pervert Natsu?"

More rumbles from below drew her attention back to her surroundings. Asuna saw two little shapes flitting around in the air far below, with one seemingly following the other wherever it went. A heavy boom reached her ears every time the two shapes met.

Something about the two shapes made the hair on the back of her neck stand further on end, and Asuna backed away from the platform's edge. Whatever was making those sounds could not be anything good. In fact, Asuna would lay her hard earned money on Eva being involved in it.

Then an explosion of noise louder than any of the ones before thundered in the air as a flash of golden-red light shot up from below.

Asuna blinked as the pillar of light pulsed before her eyes. "Either that was magic, or someone down there just turned on the lava lamp to end all lava lamps."

For a moment she could only stare at the beautiful light as it shone through the fog. Then the booming came back. Only this time the entire structure began to shudder with them.

Asuna started cursing up a storm as she felt her body slide toward the edge, sending her scrambling in the opposite direction in the hope of not falling to her death below.

* * *

"Why won't you _die_ already, you stupid dragon? _Sagitta Magica: 503_ _Arrows of Darkness and Ice!_ "

" _Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!_ "

Eva swore aloud as she barely got an arm up in time to block Natsu's strike. His blow had torn through her arrows just now as if they did not even exist, slamming into her body with a force that rattled her teeth. The man's power and speed had shot through the roof and it was taking every bit of her vast experience to stay in one piece.

A painful explosion blasted into her arm as his fiery punch connected. As she reeled backwards, a zap of lightning magic connected to the same spot as Natsu's fiery fist. The shock numbed her entire arm and the limb dropped uselessly to her side as she jumped away to place some distance between them.

This was probably the most terrifying part of his transformation. His new attacks were treating her protective magic barriers like they were made from wet paper. They were deflecting and absorbing only a fraction of the damage they should have been handling.

She ground her teeth together as she pushed through the pain. Natsu was coming in for another attack and she was out of position. Not good _._ Eva tried to twist her body around in order to shift her other arm into position, but was unable to move fast enough. The man was upon her so quickly that she could not react even with a shundou. She could only watch in impotent fury as Natsu's blazing forearm impacted her chest.

" _Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!_ "

* * *

Negi saw the explosion of lightning and fire racing towards him. Entranced by its majesty, he could only stare at it in awe. So it was with surprise that a figure interposed itself between him and the oncoming attack.

" _Ice Make: Shield!_ "

A giant wall of shimmering-blue ice sprang into being in front of Negi. The rolling storm of blazing magic impacted it with the sound of a sledgehammer striking a frozen lake in winter. The noise caused the young teacher to flinch, snapping him out of his trance.

Cracks spread through Gray's ice and Negi could feel the air sizzle from the flame's heat. Whatever Natsu's magic was, it was _far_ stronger than any fire magic the young teacher had ever seen. One of his childhood friends, Anya, had been fond of using fire magic. She was talented it it too.

Natsu's made her magic look like a child's sparklers in comparison. It was magnitudes greater than anything Anya could summon even on her best day. Furthermore, his fire almost felt _alive_. As though there was some beast that dwelled within it, coming to live as it soared through the air.

Somehow Gray's shield held firm against this power. The shield was torn and broken, but it still stood as the attack dissipated.

Its magic spent, the shield fell apart in a shower of ice. The young mage saw Gray's shoulders heave as the dark-haired man drew in deep breaths.

"Frickin Natsu. He always has to go overboard. The moron never considers the surrounding environment when he cuts loose, or who else might be in it. And holy hell! What's the deal with those overpowered attacks just now? Even Natsu's not _that_ strong."

Negi saw the ice user's eyes tracked Natsu's position as the dragon-slayer jumped into the air to pursue his opponent. Natsu grabbed hold of Eva's slim legs and threw her into the ground in an explosion of sand and flame. He then landed on top of her stunned form with a fiery kick, where he proceeded to lay into Eva with a blinding barrage of blows.

Gray continued to mutter under his breadth. "It has to be the weird magic in this air. I could feel it ever since I arrived, but I wasn't sure how to use it. That idiot is probably tapping into it somehow even though I couldn't."

Negi blinked as he considered the man's words. There was strange magic in the air?

Oh, so there was. After Gray mentioned it, Negi could feel that the air around them was somehow different. It felt more full than normal. As though the ambient magic was flowing in a raging river rather than a small creek. Now that he was paying attention, Negi could feel a difference in his own body.

His senses felt sharper and more intense than usual. As though he had consumed a powerful stimulant. Or had received an injection of magical energy from another mage. If he were to use magic in his current state then the result would probably be quite interesting.

But unlike Gray, Negi could feel no barrier to using said magical energy. It was there, waiting and ready for him to use as always. Only the quantity and quality had changed. So then why would Gray feel as though he were unable to use it?

Negi filed that little nugget of information away for further thought. Then he bowed his head to the older boy in thanks. "Thank you for protecting us, Mr. Gray. That was marvelous magic you used."

It truly was remarkable, even if it had only been able to hold against the attack's very edges. The sand where Eva had been standing had been turned to blackened glass that stretched to the area where Gray's shield had stood. The power behind it had been potent enough to overwhelm any type of barrier Negi could have summoned on his own.

The thought caused his fists to momentarily clench. An action which only made him clench them harder, for they were the fists of a _child_. A small child who still needed to rely on others for protection.

Meanwhile, ignorant of Negi's thoughts, the older boy nodded his head as he kept his gaze on the fight. Natsu had just thrown Eva into the air once more and was readying himself for another jump. "Anytime kid. Besides, if we hang out with one another for very long, you'll probably return the favor someday for myself or one of my friends. Things like this happen to members of Fairy Tail more often than I'd like. And I've had my own butt saved more than once by someone who I once helped in the past."

Gray flashed him a quick grin before turning to look back at the fight. Then the man gave a grunt and took off both his jacket and his shirt.

Dumbfounded, Negi could only stare at the older boy as Gray proceeded to strip himself of every piece of clothing that was on his skin. The ice user did it all in complete silence, as if what he was doing was perfectly normal. Negi looked at an equally confused Takamichi as Gray hooked his fingers into the top of his boxers. Who did that while an intense magical duel raged on right in front of them? It made no sense! Negi only peeled his eyes away when the boxers started to slide down Gray's body on a journey to join the rest of the man's discarded clothes.

Back in the fight, Eva had seemingly managed to regain control of her body after being flung into the air. Straining his ears, Negi was just able to make the words out to the spell she was chanting. " _Li_ _c_ _lac la lac lilac: Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes! Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis._ "

Negi's eyes widened. He recognized that spell. It was the chant for Snowstorm of Darkness. A High spell of Darkness and Ice. Eva had used it against him in their previous duel but, judging by the magic that Eva was gathering, this one would be a far more potent version.

Eva's chanting reached its peak. The ancient vampire extended a tiny hand to channel the spells power and unleash it upon her target. " _Nivus Tempestas Obscurans!_ " Then she moved her other hand forward and seemed to smirk at her opponent. " _Sagitta Magica:_ _1_ _,_ _113_ _Arrows of Darkness and Ice._ "

Negi gasped. Simultaneous casting of two powerful spells? There was no way that Natsu would be able to overcome them both at once!

Yet the pink-haired man did not seem to panic. A burst of fire surrounded his feet, sending him soaring through the air towards Eva's magic. The aura of flame and lightning around his body flared ever more brightly.

Natsu opened his mouth wide. " _Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!_ "

A stream of fire and lightning far greater than any before flowed out in a torrent of power. It impacted Eva's magic and blasted through it as a howl filled the air. The vampire's tiny form was immediately obscured as the raging stream of magic washed over her body. The powerful spell shot forward unabated until it drilled into the side of the vampire's enormous building. The resulting explosion of fire and lightning sent a visible rush of dust into the air as stones began to fall from the point of impact.

Then the actual sound of the explosion rocked into Negi. Crackling staccato from the spell's lightning component stabbed into his brain while the roaring of a jet airliner provided a constant backdrop. He could it hear it even through both hands covering his ears. The noise pounded into him mercilessly as Natsu continued to pour magical energy into the attack in an unending stream of visible power.

Several seconds later, Natsu cut the stream of magic with a visible clamping of his jaws. Sweat streamed down his face as he panted. Veins in the other man's neck stood out from his skin. A lull settled on the battlefield as the dragon-slayer and everyone else looked for any sign of Eva.

A high-pitched scream tore through the quiet air, its piercing call sounding oddly familiar to Negi. The young mage turned his head and quickly located its source. Panic gripped his heart.

Praying to every god he knew, Negi placed his father's staff below his feet and took off into the air faster than he had ever flown before.

 **Page Break**

Natsu let himself fall back to earth. His feet sank into the stuff, sticking to his sweat and blood covered skin.

None of it bothered him. The dragon-slayer could feel that his power was spent. That there was only the smallest amount of magic remaining in his body. He had thrown everything he had into that final blast and left nothing for a followup. The blast would either grant him victory or hasten his defeat.

After a time the cloud of dust and smoke began to clear from the hole he had created with the attack. A single pale foot could be seen sticking out of it. It seemed to give a slight twitch as rubble continued to fall, but no other sign of life was given.

Natsu closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing. The vampire mage was not chanting anything. Nor did she seem to be moving around within the hole. The dragon-slayer could just barely make out the sound of her uneven breathing.

Ugh. He might have overdone it this time. She had seemed to be pretty resilient, but not everyone could take an angry Natsu head on and come out standing. In fact, Natsu could count that number of people on one hand. Two if he was being honest with himself.

But in his defense he _had_ been very angry at the girl, and she _could_ defend herself better than most people he had encountered. Eva was a centuries old vampire. One who, by her own boastful admission, was powerful beyond reason. She was _not_ the 10 year old girl her physical appearance would seem to indicate. Even if Natsu remembered Negi mentioning that the girl was under some kind of debilitating curse.

Then Natsu heard a girl's terrified screams and looked to the right. He could see Asuna falling through the air, twisting back and forth as her arms windmilled in a clear sign of panic. The girl did not seem to be slowing her descent or even preparing herself for impact. Natsu cursed and began to run, only to trip and barely catch himself.

He really was too tired. There was no way he would be able to make it to the girl in time to save her. A flash of sorrow ripped through the dragon-slayer at the thought of the young girls impending death as he could only stare impotently in her direction.

"I've got you Asuna!" Negi's cry reached Natsu's ears as clear as a tolling bell.

The young mage had hopped onto his over sized staff and was flying to meet the falling girl. He was moving nearly as fast as Natsu could at top speed, and thanks to the advantages of flight he was able to maintain the speed over the water's surface. The staff skimmed the water's surface as the boy neared the spot where Asuna would land. Then it shot upwards like a javelin into the sky.

Natsu fell to his knees and sank into the sand. Using the Lightning Flame Dragon mode for so long had taken its toll on his body and he could not make it to the girl in time. Gray's magic was not good for long distance maneuvers and Takamichi was just standing still.

It was all on the kid to save her.

Reaching an arm out, Negi targeted the screaming girl. He managed to time it just right and caught her cleanly, wrapping an arm around the falling girl from the air and placing her onto his staff. Asuna's screams died down as she clutched the thick piece of wood with one hand and the young boy with another. The staff moved gently across the sky and made its way back to land. Gray and Takamichi met the two as they landed. The girl was going to be alright.

Natsu allowed his anger at himself to come back. He punched his fist into the sand in frustration. This was something he had not felt in years. Annoyance at his own power. At his inability to wield it the it should be wielded. Feeling it left a bitter taste in his mouth when he _should_ be enjoying his victory.

Igneel had raised him to be proud of the fire within his body. He had taught Natsu how to wield it, about the correct way it was to be used and what ways he would need to avoid. Natsu had taken his father's teachings to heart and had steadily progressed upon the path the ancient dragon had laid out for him. But right now, at this moment, Natsu could feel anger and annoyance at the source of his strength bubbling up from within.

Because Natsu was no longer just the fire dragon-slayer. He had undergone a change that his father had not anticipated.

The lightning power which now lived within his body had not come from his father. It had come from another dragon-slayer, and Natsu had never been taught how to properly use its power.

Unlike the fire which came from his soul the lightning had come from outside of it. It was neither something Natsu had earned over time, nor something he had completely turned into his own. Using it gave him a massive boost in power. As well as a decided increase in destructive potential. But after it was unleashed it depleted his magic at an incredible rate and left him incredibly weakened after Natsu released it. Even now he could feel a faint tightening spread through his muscles as the aftereffects made their appearance.

Natsu punched the ground again. This situation could not be allowed. After making sure that Eva and Asuna were okay, Natsu would take the choice of staying or leaving Mahora out of Gray's hands. This battle had made the choice clear to Natsu. He needed to master this power before it turned into a liability.

Otherwise it could someday be Happy, or Lucy, or Wendy in need of saving with no one other than a weakened nearby Natsu as backup. The thought of possibly being unable to save them due to his own lack of control was intolerable.

Then a familiar scent made its way to his nose. Its sudden appearance caused to Natsu jerk his head up in surprise. He managed to raise his hands just in time to shield his face.

" _Crystallitatio Tellustris._ "

The sand surrounding Natsu turned to ice. Pillars jutted forth and surrounded the exhausted fire mage, trapping him in a frozen cage. To make matters worse, each of Natsu's limbs had been caught in the spell. Eva's magic had frozen his arms and lower half completely, and they were already beginning to grow numb. Natsu shot a look of disbelief at Eva as the vampire floated just out of his reach.

"What does it take to put you down," he managed to growl. "You couldn't have escaped from that attack without getting hurt!"

Natsu had hit the girl with everything in his arsenal. Nearly every ounce of magic he possessed had gone into the last blow. And what had it accomplished?

The vampire's clothes were gone as if she had never worn any in the first place. Natsu could see every portion of her creamy skin, bare as the day she was born, as Eva floated in the air. Her small body, pretty in its simplicity, stood before him without an inch of covering. Yet despite her lack of clothing there was not a single sign of a burn or scratch on any part of her naked body.

That was impossible. No one could avoid taking any damage from an explosion of that magnitude. Erza would have had a few burned locks of hair. Laxus would have had a bloody fist. Even Gildarts would have been hurt by Natsu's attack. And all of that would be if the other party had somehow managed to block the attack, to say nothing if they had taken the hit head on like Eva. In that scenario, none of Natsu's fellow guild-mates would have gotten out of it without bleeding.

Eva should have _some_ kind of injury. Whether it be a bleeding wound or a lock of charred hair there should have been _some_ kind of damage to her body. Natsu's attack had hit her dead on. He had seen her stunned form twitching with his own two eyes.

But the proof was right in front of him. The vampire made no attempt to hide or conceal her body, and Natsu's nose could confirm what his eyes were telling him.

That his greatest attack, one that had left him spent and given him a feeling of self-loathing at his reliance upon a power he could not yet fully control, had accomplished nothing. Nothing besides causing the vampire to stare at him with a venomous glare that bored into his own shocked gaze.

"Because I am Nosferatu, young dragon _,_ " Eva hissed as she bared her teeth at him. Her beautiful green eyes began to glow with a crimson light. "And it is time you learn that not even the wrath of a true dragon can compare to my own."

Natsu summoned the dregs of his power as she rose higher into the sky. Weak flames flared into existence and slowly melted the ice from around his body as the vampire began to chant. The words were nonsense to Natsu's ears even with Negi's charm still tied around his wrist. Yet their ominous feeling was causing his instincts to scream at him in warning.

" _Lic lac la lac lilac:_ _Τὸ συμβόλαιον διακονῆτω μοί, ἡ κρυστάλλινη βασίλεια! Ἐπιγενηθήτω, ταἰώνιον ἔρεβος, αἱώνιε κρύσταλλε!_ "

The very air tingled from the power Eva was gathering to herself. Natsu stopped trying to free his body. He would never be able to dodge it in his current state. His only hope was to try and hit her with a spell of his own before she finished casting.

Natsu drew in a deep breath and gathered the fire within his stomach. " _Fire Dragon's Roar!_ "

Eva's voice cried out in exultation just as the fire left his lips. _"Πάσαις ζωαῖς τὸν ἴσον θάνατον, ὃς ἀταραξία!_ _Κοσμικη Κρυσταλλοπηγια!_ "

The dragon slayer's flame rushed out to meet the vampire's ice magic. The two opposing elements touched, and for the first time since the fight began Natsu saw one of his attacks be completely overwhelmed. The frozen stream of ice coming from the tiny vampire overpowered his dragon's breath and came into contact with his body.

Darkness enveloped him.

 **END**

 **A/** **N:** Happy holiday wishes! I hope that you have enjoyed the early release, and that all of you readers are having a safe and happy holiday season. :-)

And that's it folks! I hope that it was worth the wait. I tried to make this fight the best I could. Hopefully I was able to show that, even as powerful as Natsu is, he is still not strong enough to fight the big guys in Negima. Meanwhile, Eva poked the dragon and wound up kicking his ass. But only after her hide got cooked in her arrogance. The power that Natsu tapped into during the fight will eventually be revealed (it's foreshadowing for much later on), but I'm sure that one or two of you can guess where I'm going with it. It's a thought that I had early on in my fic that was later (somewhat) confirmed to be canon.

Though Raiyoukai's call of Igneel and the other dragons hiding within their respective dragon-slayers still takes the cake in terms of brilliant calls. I mean, I personally thought that it was total nonsense. No way could it be true. Then it became canon and I was forced to eat a slice of humble pie.

Sometimes, using spellcheck on these chapters can be a pain. Names like Natsu and Negi have to be added. Terms like 'magification' need to be added. And sometimes spellcheck even goes after words that are properly spelled, but in its infinite wisdom are somehow wrong. Gah! Goddamn piece of technology. If it was not so useful for catching my more dumb and embarrassing errors in grammar I would happily shut the darn thing off completely.

On to my comments!

 _On Magic:_ This is a somewhat fascinating area to me due to the potential for change and modification it possesses. Because the magical systems in both Negima and Fairy Tail, while compatible, are wildly different.

Fairy Tail has a very simple outlook on magic. A mage, who is someone that has the ability to perform magic, calls out the name of a spell and casts it. There is generally little to no lag time, and the spell is usually simple as well. Both Natsu and Erza stand as examples in this regard. Even mages with more complicated magic, like Gray, only have a slightly modified way to form and cast their spells.

Additionally, most mages in the manga world seem able to progress relatively easily on their own. While people like Gray, Leone, Natsu, and Wendy all had someone to teach them the basics, they are able to advance their magic to greater heights with little to no input from others.

Negima's magic viewpoint on magic is a stark contrast. Negi is hailed as a prodigy, able to conceive and create new spells in a span of time that leaves other characters shaking their head at the unfairness of it all. Mages like Evangeline spent centuries crafting their unique techniques, or by forming schools of magecraft to do it over generations. Heck, there are even specialized departments of magical research and theory in the world of Negima whose only goal is to create new and more powerful spells.

So the question to me then is how do I fuse these two very different concepts. Or do I abandon one side in favor of the other?

To be honest I am still figuring it out. Right now I am using the fairy tail method. A mage casts a spell, something happens, and we move on. But I highly doubt that it will stay that way. My own natural inclination is towards the Negima style. Something that I suspect will become more noticeable as the fic goes on.

Ultimately I think that it is something that will only be known with the passage of time. And regardless, the way I do it is definitely affected by any comments or criticisms that I receive along the way. The more critical reviews that have been left so far have provided a wonderful insight into my writing that has already caused my style to change and grow. I expect the same to hold true in this area as well.

 _On Spells:_ This is a pretty simple subject. I try to use canon spells whenever possible. The fan wiki's for Negima and Fairy Tail are amazing repositories for them and I use them extensively (especially within this chapter). But should I run into a situation where I need a specific spell and it does not exist, then I will happily make one up using the established criteria. Examples: Latin for Negi, 'Fire Dragon' whatever for Natsu, and 'Ice Make: Blank' for Gray. I've done it before and will undoubtedly do it again.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Of Gods and Men_ by Sablefalls. This is an Avatar: The Last Airbender fic in a postwar AU setting. Somehow Sablefalls was able to craft an _amazing_ fic where Azula and Aang get together while remaining remarkably close to their canon selves. Give the story a read and you just might find yourself loving this crack pairing as much as myself.

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	12. Moving Forward

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 12**

 **Moving Forward**

The pain in his body hit Natsu like one of Makarov's fists when he woke up. Throbbing pulses of misery that turned into red hot lances of agony the instant he tried to move his head. The agony turned back into the dull pulses of misery when he stopped.

Pain was an old friend of his and he knew how to handle it. Most of the time it could be ignored or pushed to the side, but every once in awhile the only thing one could do was suffer through it. The last time he had felt that bad was after his battle with Laxus. The lightning dragon-slayer's power had burnt his flesh and pounded his bones, and his body had been twitchy from the left over electrical discharge for an entire week.

Just like then, Natsu could feel that his entire body had been swathed in bandages. The fire dragon-slayer could not do more than look up at a ceiling, but he could feel the bandages covering his body. Someone must have undressed him because the blasted things covered him from head to toe.

It was times like this that really made him miss Wendy. Natsu's fellow dragon-slayer would have had him up and back on his feet in under a day. Sure she would have complained at him for being too reckless, or have cursed under her breadth at his opponents for hurting Natsu so much, but the male dragon-slayer rather enjoyed their interactions. Wendy was more than just a great healer. She was his friend, and having her by his side would have made any wound feel better even without her amazing healing ability.

Instead of the girl's cute face and bubbly charm, Natsu was stuck with stupid Gray. And no one wanted Gray as a nurse. The other man was dumb, unsociable, and the worst pervert to ever exist.

Now, a nurse Lucy at his bedside in one of her hot cosplay outfits? Hell yeah! Count Natsu in for that. Happy or Carla, with their loving and, if slightly offsetting, caring nature's? Sure, why not. There were worse things in the world.

Heck, Natsu would even take Erza walking into the room and smashing his injured body against her armored chest over the ice mage's presence. Something which had happened more than once in his life and had never been all that helpful to the healing process. And if that thought was not a sign of desperation then Natsu was not sure what else could qualify. Because the moment it ran through his head, it brought him back to the one thing that Natsu was desperately trying to avoid. The gaping sense of disappointment and loss that had been the second thing he had felt upon waking up after his defeat.

He may not have been able to move his head to look around the room, but his sense of smell was working just fine. It had picked up Gray's presence, and judging by the scent's strength the dark-haired man must have been seated in a chair close to Natsu's bed.

For all of Gray's faults, and for all that Natsu liked to insult the man at any given opportunity, the ice mage was one of Natsu's cherished comrades. Waking up after losing a fight to avenge Gray, and knowing that he must have stayed by Natsu's side as long as the dragon-slayer had been unconscious, caused Natsu more pain than any wound.

Every time in the past, with just one single exception, Natsu had been able to protect his comrades. When Phantom Lord had attacked the guild and kidnapped Lucy, Natsu had been able to rescue her. Erza had been taken by Jellal to the Tower of Heaven, Natsu had beaten some sense into the other man and rescued her too. When Wendy's old guild had been attacked, Natsu had helped her stop the Oracion Seis and fulfill her guild's millennia long goal. Natsu had even helped Gray put to rest the ghosts of his past of Galuna Island, stopping the ice mage from throwing away his life and leaving his friends behind.

But this time Natsu had come up short. His adversary may have spared his life but there was no sugarcoating his defeat. Natsu had not been strong enough to avenge his friend's torment, and the knowledge of all that it entailed burned within his chest with a harsher pain than all of his physical injuries combined.

For a long while the dragon-slayer kept quite, letting the anger he felt over his loss flow through him. He poured over his memories of the battle, analyzing his opponent's abilities and trying to see what he could have done better. Natsu would need to learn from his defeat in order to beat her in the future. The only thing was that he had no idea how he could do it.

Evangeline – Eva, he corrected himself – had been a tough opponent. The vampire was certainly the strongest adversary he had ever come across, and he was certain that she had yet to display her full strength. The tiny woman had toyed with him throughout the fight, always having the upper edge in their battle. It had taken every skill in his arsenal, on top of an additional power boost whose origin still confused him, just to get a peak at the power she could command. One spell later and he was down for the count, beaten with barely any chance to resist.

Add on her ability to fly, teleport, and display a wide range of skills, and the woman was impossible to see through. Unlike Gildarts or Laxus, Eva did not rely on one type of magic. She was an ice mage first and foremost but she was not limited to it. She could also use dark magic, energy manipulation magic, doll magic, and who knew what other types at a high enough level to make mages who had specialized in those fields back in Fiore go green with envy.

Perhaps it was to be expected. While Eva might appear to be a little girl, she was a centuries old vampire. Nor was she was not some sort of immortal watcher who let events go by while she sat on the sidelines. Not in the slightest. If Natsu's gut instinct was right, then Eva must have been rather active in the past. The powers that she had and the battle prowess she had displayed could only have been achieved through years of brutal training coupled culminating in unrelenting combat.

In short, Eva was the real deal. She was a creature of legend. One powerful enough to stand up to Natsu's draconic powers and come out on top. And a being whose breadth of knowledge and experience utterly dwarfed his own.

None of which did anything to make Natsu feel any better about his loss. He was the son of Igneel. Igneel, the Fire Dragon King. And Igneel had taught Natsu to never let go of a defeat. That every defeat was a new beginning, and that the road to victory would only begin once the lessons of his defeat had been learned and corrected.

Natsu closed his eyes again, finally feeling better after remembering his father's advice. His body needed time to heal before he could do anything. And as much as it hurt his pride to rely upon Gray, Natsu knew that his friend would guard him until he was able to move around again. It was a debt that Natsu swore that he would one day repay as he drifted off into dreams of sexy nurses.

* * *

One day later found the mages in the amphitheater yet again. The tension in the air was noticeably different, as the two hotheads from the previous day had cooled off after their fight. Gray glowered as he looked at Eva's pleased expression before grunting and turning to look at his friend.

Seated to his right on a newly repaired stone bench, the dragon-slayer currently resembled something closer to a mummy than a normal human being. The most Gray could see of the other man's actual body were his eyes and a single tuft of pink hair that stuck through at the top. Natsu looked more like a child's idea of first aid gone wrong than an actual patient. On nearly any other day, Gray would have found it pretty funny. It was a shame that the image was spoiled by the knowledge that Natsu had fought the vampire for Gray's sake only to have the living daylights beaten out of him.

The outcome of that fight had forced Gray to reassess things. He was used to being one of the big dogs back in Fiore. A mage that, while not the strongest, close to that top tier of elite powerhouses. And he had a right to feel that way. Because when he combined his brain with Ur's magic there were only a few mages that were completely out of his weight class. Only monsters like Erza and Gildarts, or that old freak Warrod, belonged in that category.

Sure there was a separate category for those like Zeref and Acnologia as well but that was a separate matter entirely. Those two were freaks beyond freaks. Powerhouses who had lived for centuries and who stood at a level which could not be reached through normal methods.

What the fight between Eva and Natsu had truly shown Gray was that in this new world there were people who could kick their butts with a flip of their hand. Because in just one city they had discovered someone who could thrash both of them and come out unscathed. Someone who, if the circumstances had been different, might have killed them without batting an eye.

Bruised ego aside, it was a stark difference to that time in Edolas. In that universe Gray and the others had been able to run wild. Only a handful of people had been able to put up even a minor level of resistance to them. And once those individuals had been defeated the rest had been a cakewal.

That was not the case this time around. Between Eva kicking their asses and the restrictions placed upon magic in this world, Gray had a sinking feeling that they had entered some dangerous waters. And after talking with Takamichi after Natsu had gotten medical attention, Gray's feeling had only gotten worse.

The big man had told him that while the vampire certainly stood at the top of this world in terms of power and skill, there were others out there who could be placed on her level. And that the level she had displayed during the battle was even more common.

That statement had smashed apart what little remained of Gray's bruised ego. If he and Natsu wanted to have any hope at reuniting with their friends, then the the two of them were going to have to change things up. They would have to think smarter and grow stronger, all while making new allies in order to defeat whatever new enemies showed up. Because with their usual level of luck Gray and the rest were bound to encounter a villain or three along the way.

All of which would need to be done while searching not just one but _two_ unknown worlds for their missing companions. Worlds that were filled with millions of people and dozens of countries, all with their own opinions and agendas. Thinking about what it was going to take to accomplish their goals was enough to make Gray wince.

But for the sake of their comrades it _would_ be done. Because they were Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail mages never gave up on their comrades.

Gray closed his eyes and shaped the resolve in his heart until it was firm. They might not be the strongest in this world, but they would accomplish their mission no matter what. Gray stood up and addressed the group.

"Let's get things over with quickly today," he said in a determined tone. "I'm not one for ceremony, and the sooner this meeting is over the sooner we can start doing what needs to be done. The reason why Natsu and I called for this meeting yesterday was to let the rest of you know what the two of us came up with. We're not sure what you all discussed once we had left, but we had some ideas that could probably fit in with whatever you came up with."

He gave a lidded glance around the room. The vampire was floating in mid-air with both eyes closed, her smirk having faded to a faint curve of her lips. Clearly the creature did not find his words to be of any importance. That was more than alright with Gray as it would hopefully mean that the creature was less likely to speak.

Meanwhile, Negi and Takamichi seemed to be paying attention to his words. Time would tell if it was out of courtesy or sincerity.

Then there was the orange-haired girl who had been introduced to Gray as Asuna. She was paying rapt attention to him but was not one of the decision makers. He would reserve his judgment on her until they had a few more interactions with one another.

Clearing his throat, Gray continued to speak. "While we came up with a number of ideas that we can go over in more depth, they all boil down to a single course of action. Basically, we want to split up in order to cover more ground. One of us would stay in Mahora, as it is apparently a place with a good number of magic users as well as being your own apparent base of operations. Meanwhile, the other would journey throughout the rest of your world and also explore this Magic Mundus place in the hopes of finding our missing comrades."

He paused to clear his throat again. Speaking in front of a group like this was really not his thing. "Now, if possible we would like to have Natsu be the one to stay here to make Mahora a base of operations, as well as to make it a contact point if any of our friends learn that we are searching for them. That would leave me free to travel and explore while enabling us to keep in touch with one another."

At this statement Natsu crossed his bandaged arms and gave an audible huff. The pink-haired man somehow managed to express an annoyed pout even though the only thing that could be seen of him were his eyes. Gray shot him a wry smile that only caused Natsu's pout to deepen. The man might hate taking such a passive role in things, but they needed to adapt to the situation as best they could if they were to find their friends without starting some kind of world wide war between those with magic and those without it.

"It took us awhile to iron out who would be going where – you probably heard the two of us, uh, _arguing_ with each other two nights ago – but we eventually came to an agreement. While Natsu has a lot of the skills needed to find someone out in the wild, he's really not the most suited to pursuing an investigation of this nature. I have a little more patience when it comes to speaking with people, and unlike flame-brain here I know how to grease the wheels of people and institutions if it suits my purpose."

All of which was true. But the main reason was that although Natsu was far more experienced in tracking down rumors to find someone, courtesy of his lifelong search for Igneel, Natsu's methods could not be used in this new world. The dragon-slayer had gained his skills in a world where magic could be used openly and was far too flashy to remain hidden in a world where magic was kept apart from those who were unable to use it.

"If possible, I would like to start by going to this magical mundus place that you mentioned to us. You can drop me off there alone or have someone accompany me. Either way is fine with me, because unless you've received or begin to receive word of a magic user running rampant, then that's the most likely place to find our friends." Gray jerked a thumb at Natsu and himself. "We don't really do subtle very well, and one of our missing companions is even worse. The only place where we wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb would be a place where we could use magic openly, and the only place that seems to be possible would be in this Mundus place." He paused before tacking one one additional thought. "But, if something happened and one of us were to be placed into this world, then my magic is less flashy than that of flame-brain over here. And while it would suck, I would try to keep your weird rules in mind while traveling in the open."

Gray paused to take a breath after finishing his speech. He wasn't used to given long speeches like that unless it was punctuated with a fist, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "That's about it. Now, what do you all think?"

The response came faster than he was expecting.

"I think that is a great idea Mr. Gray! We were thinking along the same lines after you and Mr. Natsu left us. The only issue we had was trying to figure out who should go and who should stay, but it seems that you have managed to solve that issue on your own."

Negi had almost bounced out of his seat as he answered and Gray found it hard to believe the kid. It could not be that easy.

"Seriously?" He asked. "That's it? You're not worried about me going off on my own, or in keeping Natsu here under control?"

"In regards to your first question, Mr. Fullbuster, you would be accompanying myself when you go to Magic Mundus." Takamichi answered in a slow and deliberate tone of voice. "I'm rather connected when it comes to searching out hard to find people in that world and could be of use to you in finding your companions. You would be welcome to go your own way, but I think that we could make an effective pair once we get to know one another."

"Yes! I think that Takamichi is right, Mr. Gray. He is an amazing person and could really help you." Negi's head bobbed as he spoke. "Besides, it's always better to be with someone else rather than being all alone. If you end up needing help to find or save one of your friends, then there is no one better to have with you than my old friend Takamichi."

The ice user pondered their words. It almost felt too good to be true, especially Negi's phrasing of 'old friend.' Unless he was another vampire like Eva then the kid could not have been more than ten or twelve!

Yet if they were sincere in their offering, then Gray would be happy to take advantage of it. Heck, he would take advantage of it even if they were being insincere. He was not in a position to refuse things.

"Alright. Let's do it like that," Gray said resolutely. "I'll head off with Takamichi and start looking for our friends while the flame-brain stays here and handles the fort. And speaking of that, I noticed that you still didn't answer my question about keeping Natsu under control."

At this statement, Negi and Takamichi looked at each other sheepishly before turning to Eva. Gray's stomach began to drop, while a twisted smile started to tug at the corner of his mouth.

It could not be what he was thinking. They could not be so cruel.

Could they?

"Hmph! You do not need to worry about the baby hatching while you are away, moron. He will be in my care, and I have already demonstrated the gulf in ability that lies between us. Besides, I am not one to allow freeloaders and plan to work him to the bone during his stay." The vampire gave a yawn as she continued to nap in mid-air. "The fool also owes me two hell tickets already. I am curious to see if he will exceed that amount."

Okay, so apparently Negi and Takamichi were that cruel and Natsu would be spending most of his time in Mahora with the deranged vampire. A personality trait would be well to keep in mind. Gray gave a shudder at the thought and looked to the side. Natsu's single visible eye had narrowed on the vampire, but Gray knew him well enough that he could tell that Natsu was actually pleased by this development.

If he had not already known it to be the case, then this would have made Gray think that Natsu really was a glutton for punishment. Instead, the flame-brain's attitude that screamed 'bring it on' was enough to make Gray sigh in aggravation.

While he would not have accepted the deal in Natsu's place, the ice mage chose not to object since Natsu seemed to accepting it. Gray could only hope that Natsu was able to survive whatever future blowups would inevitably happen between the dragon-slayer and the vampire. If he did not, then Gray knew who to kill. Natsu had made this bed and would get to lay in it. Something that Gray knew from personal experience to be a one-way street to pain and misery.

* * *

Evangeline watched a single half-closed eye as the young ice user talked to Takamichi in earnest. After the short little meeting had ended the two men had moved into a corner to discuss their future plans. From the sounds of things they would be wasting little time and would depart the moment they left her abode.

Such was acceptable to the vampiric mage. Evangeline had what she wanted – a living example of this strange magic under her control and available for testing – and had no need for a spare. Maybe it would be of use to compare the two in the future should her theories require it, but it was not needed for the time being. She would be content with the pink-haired idiot and leave the other one in Takamichi's capable hands until the time came that such was no longer a desirable outcome.

Thinking of the dragon-slayer, however, made the vampire turn her head to hide a quick grimace. The two strangers were certainly skilled mages. She could freely admit that she had been impressed by Gray's abilities. They had been enough to pique her interest after all, and were very commendable for his young age.

But Natsu had been something else entirely.

The young man was _strong_. Strong enough enough that he was able to catch her off-guard during a fight. Strong enough that she would need to be careful whenever they were in proximity to one another outside of the diorama. Strong enough that it was possible for his latent potential to rival even that of the boya. And _that_ realization was something she had not expected to encounter for a very long time and somewhat displeased her.

Being trapped in this place for the better part of a decade had begun to dull her wits. During her fight the Springfield brat, Evangeline had let herself grow cocky and had taken it easy on the boy. The fact that the child had been able to best her even under such circumstances had shocked her back to wakefulness. It had enabled her to focus on something more than just the mundane minutia of everyday life, and brought back an excitement that had been missing.

Yet it was not enough. In the old days, she would have been able to determine the flame wielder's potential at a glance. It would not have taken an ego bruising battle with the raving moron to reveal what should have been blatantly obvious.

But between Negi and Natsu's stimulation, Evangeline found herself awakening once again. She missed the parry and thrust of a sharp discussion or the brutal simplicity of an all out brawl. She missed playing with the lives of others and watching them struggle in her grasp. Most of all, Eva had missed being _relevant_.

Evangeline had been a fixture of the magical world for centuries. Hated and feared, she had leveled cities in her wrath and been pursued by bounty hunters out for her head. Hers was an existence which could not be denied, nor one that could be ignored should she wish it. Such had been true even during the last century when she had taken to wandering.

But it had all changed when the blasted Thousand Master had trapped her. Bound by his spell, she could not her own power. The power she had earned through blood, sweat, and tears. Her own freedom was restricted. Never could she wander to some corner of the globe on a whim, nor travel between worlds in search of some new and intriguing idea.

The great vampiric mage who terrified the world had been reduced to attending school like a good little girl. To listening as prepubescent girls cooed over the latest heartthrob or gossiped over what someone else had done. The creation of Chachamaru was the only light within that dark hole, but it had not enough to sustain her.

Everything about Mahora had been torture for the vampire. It had dulled her wits nearly broken her spirit. And it would have, if given enough time.

Then Negi had appeared. The boy had brought with him that amusing Asuna girl and opened Eva's eyes. Together, the young duo had raised her hopes and made her feel alive for the first time in a decade.

Now came these two magic users from another world. Both of whom wielded magic that was unlike anything she had ever seen. Both talented for their age, with one being strong enough to force her to take him seriously, even if only for a moment.

Between them all, Evangeline felt that she was once again in the eye of a storm. She could feel the potential conflict as it brewed around them. That the touch of Destiny, absent for so long, had returned to lay its hands on her shoulders.

And the vampire reveled in it! For in spite of the Thousand Masters thrice dammed curse, in spite of the horror that was Mahora Academy, Evangeline the Dark was still relevant!

A soft chuckle escaped her lips. She basked in the delicious feeling for a moment before she tamped down her emotions. There would be time in the future, when in private, to indulge in such feelings. But that would come later. Business must come before pleasure.

With the dragon-slayer safely under her thumb, Evangeline would need to step up Negi's development. The boy was a mass of potential just waiting to be unearthed. If she could do it, then not only would the child be grateful to her and free her from his father's spell, but it was possible that the boy could also grow into a strong and useful ally in the future.

How fun would it be to take the Thousand Master's child and twist the boy to her own purposes? The mere thought suffused Evangeline with a warm feeling of pleasure. And while it was certainly a gamble, Evangeline _had_ been on a lucky streak as of late.

It was time to see if the children would make a deal with the devil.

"Boya. Kagurazaki. Come here for a moment. There is something we need to discuss."

* * *

Curious as to why the ancient vampire had summoned them, Negi and Asuna had walked over to where Evangeline lay floating in the air. Only to find himself immediately at a loss for words.

"Each of you has a glaring weakness. And until you learn what it is and start to work on it, both of you will continue to be a danger to yourself and to those around you."

Negi felt his heart stop at Evangeline's words. He did not know how to respond, as the mere idea that he was placing those around him in danger filled his mind with a thousand and one terrible scenarios. Thankfully, he was not the only one being addressed.

"What do you mean that we have a weakness?" Asuna yelled. A bright red flush, deeper than Asakura's hair color, began to suffuse her face and neck. "Let alone that we are or ever would be a danger to our friends. In case you've forgotten, we managed to kick your butt _and_ save Konoka from being sacrificed. We've done pretty well for only having known each other for a few weeks."

"Yes, yes. Spare me the teenage drama, Kagurazaki. You and the boya have done a remarkable job considering the circumstances, but it does not change the truth of my words. Both of you has a weakness that could end up killing you. Should you fail to address either one, then the chances of you or someone you know dying begin to go up significantly."

"Uh huh. Well, if you think that you are right little miss 'I'm an ancient fearsome vampire', then why don't you tell us what those weakness are and _we_ will tell _you_ if we agree with your assessment. Sound fair?"

Evangeline barked a laugh at Asuna's words. "Fine. Then I will lay it out clearly. You," she said, gesturing towards Asuna as she spoke, "have no control over your own power. Without that fan in your hands, you have nothing. Your ability to cancel magic and be useful in a fight would fly out of the window right at that moment, causing you to either die soon after or become a burden on anyone fighting at your side."

The vampire pointed at Negi. "And you, boya, are even worse! You desire power and chase after your father's shadow, but you have no idea on how to get there. You keep involving more and more people in your attempts to succeed, and sooner or later you will run into a situation where you will be unable to protect them. It is like watching a drunken bull struggle to make its way through a pottery shop. Some of them will be weak, or have abilities suited to being a support type character rather than an assault type like Asuna or Setsuna. And unless you reign yourself in and find a path to the sort of power you are chasing, it is not just a mere possibly that one of them could get hurt. No. It is a _certainty_ , and one where death is more likely to occur than a slap on the wrist."

Negi felt his stopped heart begin to break as Evangeline spoke. He wanted to deny her words. He wanted to say how wrong she was, or how he and Asuna would improve with time. But he could not get the words out of his mouth.

Because Evangeline was right.

When Asuna had begun to speak, Negi had allowed himself to be buoyed by her words. The two of them had made for an incredible team. With her ability to cancel magic and jump into a melee role coupled with his own ability to cast powerful spells from a distance, the two were almost a textbook pair for a Magister and a Ministra. Together they had managed to beat a centuries old vampire, an Eastern sorceress and her strange creations, and stop the plans of the mysterious Fate. They had even met two amazing magi who had traveled across dimensions!

But at the end of the day Evangeline was right. The more incredible people they found, like Natsu and Gray and Setsuna, the further away his father felt. Negi was not even close to catching up to him. The boy had no standard with which to measure himself against, nor anyone to guide him on a path towards greater power. In his attempts to reach his goal, he was fumbling in the dark instead of racing along a path.

And the entire situation _frustrated_ him to no end. It left him feeling weak and powerless, as if his ten years of life had not amounted to anything. Oh certainly, some might say that ten years was hardly enough time to even start on the path to achieving something, or that he was expecting too much of himself. Many of his fellows back at the magical academy had told him as much. But although he was not one to look down on others, Negi had higher standards for himself than he would easily admit.

His father was the Thousand Master. The man who had mastered over a thousand spells. The hero who had saved the world and been granted the title of Magister Magi. A once in a hundred years genius who towered over his entire generation. If Negi did not hold himself to that higher standard, then he would never catch up to his father. Negi would forever be chasing his shadow, unable to catch the man's back or walk alongside him.

That would not do. Negi could not accept such an outcome. He had made a vow to reach the place where his father stood and amazing people like Asuna and Setsuna had promised to help him achieve it. Negi would not allow his hard work or their support to be wasted.

Then a thought occurred to him. One that he had been considering, but had been to scared to bring up.

Negi looked to his side. Asuna's face was filled with the fury of a thunderstorm as she continued to argue with Evangeline, but Negi could tell that she too knew that Evangeline was right. Otherwise the orange-haired girl would have silently ignored the vampire's words and resolutely chosen to move forward. Asuna's determination was one of the qualities that Negi admired most about her.

Taking a page from her book, Negi firmed his own resolve. If nothing was ventured, then nothing would ever be accomplished.

It was time to take a risk.

"You are right, Evangeline. Asuna and I have accomplished a lot, but we need help to improve. We need someone to guide us as we figure out our paths. Someone who is strong, smart, and skilled as both a mage and a fight."

Negi took a deep breath. Now he was committed. Next would be the moment of truth, and possibly decide the course of his life and that of his partner..

"Would you teach us how to become stronger?"

* * *

Sitting in a corner, bandaged and alone, the only resident dragon-slayer huffed as he watched everyone move around and talk. Sitting here quietly, unable to talk or move around freely, was nearly as painful as the wounds littering his body. Natsu was bored. And he hated being bored.

He wanted to get up and join them. Maybe insult Gray and Eva a little bit, or try to wipe the depressed look off of Negi's face. The pain on the kid's face brought to mind Natsu's own painful childhood. It was a look that no child should have to wear before they were an adult, and it resonated with the dragon-slayer.

Natsu gave another huff of annoyance at his inability to do anything about it. Then he winced. Which in turn led to a groan as a chain reaction of pain shot through his entire body.

By all the spirits, but when that vampire got hot under the skin she really knew how to hurt someone.

Even an entire day and multiple healing potions fed to him by the vampire's dolls had not been enough to heal his body. His muscles burned from being pushed too far. Bruises covered every part of skin that wasn't scabbed or burning from a lingering magical chill, and penetrated deep into his chest and stomach as well.

Even his throat felt off. When Natsu had tried to summon a tiny bit of fire to burn a hole in the bandages covering his mouth, nothing had happened. Nothing other than a pathetically small cloud of smoke that had caused the vampire to laugh in his face.

She had even been bold enough to pat him on his head and call him a 'promising hatchling' that she would help learn to fly. Natsu had tried to throw his body at the irritating woman, only to fall over and roll around the floor in agony. The laughing vampire had stepped over his body without so much as a look backwards.

Bah! That was just adding insult to injury. Natsu Dragneel had all he needed to grow stronger without her help. In fact, he would even ask Gray to help him grow stronger before he asked her.

Never and nohow would it ever come to be. Of that the dragon-slayer was certain.

Still, the fact remained that she had beaten him, and now he would need to abide by the terms of their challenge – obedience to her will and wishes while in her domain – or else be punished. All while Natsu stayed with her for an indeterminate amount of time that could stretch into weeks, or months, or even years.

He could already tell that it was going to suck and that there was little chance he would end up following her wishes to the letter. Because while he would definitely be giving her the respect she was due – the woman was probably stronger than Erza, Laxus, and Guildarts combined – the vampire had another thing coming if she expected Natsu to turn into some docile lapdog. He would listen to her, but if she pushed him too far or ticked him off again then he would be more than happy to go for round two.

Natsu Dragneel did not know the meaning of giving up. Someday he would surpass her. And once that day came, he would see how much _she_ enjoyed being wrapped in bandages!

Finally happy at last, Natsu chuckled as softly as he could. With his body out of action for at least a few more days he could continue planning his training regimen. He would need to step things up, and there were two possible directions he had considered while he had been stuck lying in bed.

The question was which path should he choose first. Should he master the power of his dual-dragon slayer mode? It was a potent power that came with a side effect that Natsu could no longer ignore. Or would he be better off trying to harness the remnant energy he could feel that Igneel had left within his body?

* * *

Meanwhile, in a far away place, a small blue-furred cat sneezed to himself. He took one paw off of the fishing rod in his grasp to wipe his nose. "Natsu has gotten himself involved in something stupid again. I can feel it in my fur." A sad expression crossed his face for moment. Then he perked back up. "Well, I'm sure that he'll be okay. I'll make sure to bring him plenty of fish when I see them again."

A burning, passionate look entered his eyes as he raised a clenched paw into the air. "Then we'll find everyone else and find a way to go back home too. Because Natsu and Happy are the greatest team ever!"

His passion overflowing, Happy silently vowed that nothing would get in his way. Still, searching for his pink-haired dragon-slayer would take time and resources. It would probably mean a long journey as well. All of which meant that he would need to get plenty of fish stored away before he undertook the trip.

The cat turned to the massive man standing beside him, wielding a fishing pole so large that it looked to have been made for an elephant. It was more than a little over sized for the moderately sized pond the two were using to fish. "Ne ne, we really need to start catching some fish before we head back out again, and I don't think that you're using the right pole to catch anything in this pond. It's a little too big."

Silence greeted Happy's words and caused the intelligent cat to scowl. Had the big man fallen asleep on him again? He was the worst! "Hey, are you listening to me?"

The big man still did not reply.

Happy shot a deadpan look at the giant man's still body. "You know, I don't think that you're very good at fishing."

"Ha! I have no weaknesses. Not in fighting, not in loving, and definitely not in fishing. Watch and learn little cat man, and be ready to be amazed!"

The man reached down with one giant hand and patted Happy on the head as he spoke. The hand was probably twice the size of the cat's entire body and rippled with muscles. It promptly flung him to the ground the instant it made contact with his body.

He grumbled to himself as the hand continued to slap his back in evident ignorance. "Why did I have to find someone as stupid as Natsu? Why am I cursed this way?"

The pats continued.

"Caaaarrrllllaaaaaaa! Where are youuuuuuuuuu?"

* * *

Carla sneezed as a shiver coursed down her spine. It curdled her toes in a decidedly familiar manner, and caused the white furred feline to to jump out of her chair in shock and excitement. "It's him! The Tom-cat is still alive! That means Wendy and the others must be okay as well!"

"Hey! You in the back, quiet down! Some of us are trying to take notes." The glares of her fellow students reminded Carla of her current location. Even the professor was looking in her direction with a single raised eyebrow.

The Exceed's white fur rippled as she flushed in embarrassment. Coming to this new world had turned into an incredible opportunity for her, as she had finally begun to master her powers of foresight, but she still had a long way to go before she became a true mage.

Carla bowed her head towards her classmates in apology. "Ah, I am sorry everyone. Please pay me no mind. I lost control and my powers activated for a moment."

The professor nodded. "I could sense it. There is no need to be embarrassed, Carla. Your powers of divination are the strongest we have seen in at least two centuries. A lack of control at this stage of learning is only to be expected."

With the matter settled to his satisfaction, the professor turned his back to her and continued to draw his sketch upon the blackboard. Carla sank into her chair as far as her tiny body allowed. The professor's words washed over her as he returned to his lecture.

"Now class, pay close attention to the structure I am drawing upon the board. Fizban's fifth rule of divination clearly states that there are only three way for mages to receive ordered visions. As you can see by the drawing I have just completed I have detailed the method known as spirit binding. Open your books to page sixty-seven and read along as I explain its component parts."

The sound of moving paper ruffled throughout the classroom as students dutifully followed his words. Carla would get the notes from her classmates sometime after class ended. Morning lessons on magical divination could wait. At that moment, they meant as much to her as one of the snowflakes drifting outside the classroom's window.

All she could think of was a silly blue cat and the friends she had thought lost forever. Friends she would see again, even if she had to cross the entire world on her own two feet.

 **END**

 **A/N:** Phew. Well, I honestly did not expect this chapter to take so long to post. I had already edited it months ago, but when I came back to take one last look at it before posting... well, I found myself hating it. The flow was off, the characters were one dimensional, and the character viewpoint I was using did not match the tone that I was trying to set. Suffice to say that I took an axe to it (after I had already axed its previous incarnation) and rewrote half of it.

In the middle of all this three other things happened to throw my writing off completely. 1) A family altercation that involved visits from the police. Twice, 2) A flooded garage due to a burst pipe in the wall, and 3) A fire in the house's circuit box caused by the industrial strength heaters brought in by the insurance company to deal with the flood damage. Throw in moving vast amounts of crap in the garage, some more family drama, and the result is no writing done throughout the entire month of January. This has in turn pushed back my new chapters, so my entire time schedule has been redrawn.

Being a kid was not always easy but being an adult can just plain suck at times lol.

Now, on to the comments!

 _Evangeline, Negi, and Asuna:_ This is one of my first big AU changes to Negima. In Negima canon, Negi's attempt to ask the vampire to be his teacher was filled with youthful indecision and a near pathological fear of rejection. Each of which was a recurring theme with the kid throughout the entire manga. And although it makes sense considering his lack of a stable family unit growing up (coupled by the demon attack on his village), I will not be exploring this theme in the same way.

Asuna also had to basically force herself into the picture in canon as Negi (despite acknowledging her as his battle partner) did not want to see her placed in danger. In my fic, Evangeline's slightly changed outlook on life – plus the changes caused by Fairy Tail's most irate duo – have caused the process to speed up. The vampire put the kid on the spot and I had Negi step up to the plate and hit a ground rule double into the stands. I did not go for a home run on purpose because this is not a perfect/godlike Negi fic. He and Asuna are going to be getting stronger and faster than they did in canon, which will in turn cause other people and events to change as well.

After all, I can't just have the FT crew taking things over completely. That would be a different fic and require them to all become either overpowered or godlike. Neither of which I usually enjoy in a story unless it is paired with amazing characterization. Or romance, because I'm one an absolute sucker for a great romance fic.

 _Natsu:_ He is angry right now. In fact, the man is downright livid. But as is the norm with Natsu he will consume that anger and turn it into fuel. Everyone's favorite dragon-slayer is only just beginning his conflict with Eva. It will be much like his desire to fight and surpass people such as Erza and Gildarts in the manga. It's something that worked to great effect in canon FT and, seeing no need to rework that particular wheel, I decided to keep it intact.

Only unlike his relationship with the aforementioned characters, this one will have an added edge to it. Because not only do Natsu and Eva not share the bond of FT, the ancient vampire will also have no qualms about hitting him with low blows that good friends would hold back from throwing. It's not a relationship that Natsu was ever shown to have in canon, so I am definitely going to enjoy seeing how it turns out for him.

 _Gray:_ He is now going to be going off screen with Takamichi for a bit. The two of them will make an appearance or 3 in this arc (I'm not going to just dump the poor guy) but the focus will be on the group in Mahora. Gray's appearances will mostly be setup for the post-Festival and Magic World arcs.

 _Happy:_ He's back, and the blue cat has apparently found a new friend that readers of Negima can probably identify. I have plans involving the two of them. Plans!

 _Carla:_ Surprise! Another Fairy appears. I'm curious as to whether or not any of you can guess her current location as it _is_ a place in canon Negima.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _Thaumaturgic Awakening_ by Xylix. It is an in-progress Fate Stay Night crossover with the web comic _Worm_ and follows FSN's 'Good' Unlimited Blade Works ending (aka, Saber lives and Shirou is in a relationship with both her and Rin). I knew nothing about Worm before I started reading this story. I quite honestly _still_ don't know all that much about it. But it does not matter. The author is such a good writer, and tells such an engaging story, that you cannot help but be swept up by it. It is definitely a must read fic for any FSN UBW's fans.

Until Next Time,

Elsil


	13. Arc II: Souffle on a Wintry Day

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 13**

 **Arc II**

 **Souffle on a Wintry Day**

One of the first things that anyone learned about Chamo is not to leave him unsupervised. Ever. For an unsupervised Chamo is a Chamo with time on his hands. A Chamo with time on his hands inevitably turns to thoughts and activities which any person of good moral would undoubtedly try to prevent. And in the room shared by Asuna and Konoka a beautiful scene was beginning to develop right in front of the perverted Ermine's eyes.

As to why Asuna was not there to ruin his fun, or his beloved brother Negi to make the scene even better, Chamo did not know. He had not seen Negi since the train ride back from Kyoto while Asuna had left to search for him several hours ago. Regardless of the reason as to their continued absence, the Ermine found himself no longer caring. The date between the surprisingly bold Konoka and the surprisingly delicate Setsuna had been quite the highlight so far and was just about to hit on the afterburners.

Konoka had just begun feeding Setsuna her homemade confectioneries, laughing as the swordswoman protested profusely. The poor girl kept stammering on about how she should be the one to feed Konoka, only to find Konoka holding up yet another sweet morsel in front of her mouth. Unable to tell the gorgeous girl no, Setsuna found herself opening her mouth for the tasty treat time after time.

At one point during the meal, Setsuna had wondered aloud where Negi and Asuna had gone off to, but Konoka had brushed her off. The princess of Kyoto had obviously seen an opportunity to press her advantage, and the girl's aggressiveness brought a tear to Chamo's beady little eyes.

For unbeknownst to the two girls, a portion of Konoka's cooking had been laced with a powerful love potion. Originally created by Negi to help realize Asuna's hopeless crush on Takamichi, the potions had lain undisturbed for nearly a month. In his haste to try out more traditional stratagems, Negi had forgotten to properly dispose of the finished product.

Thus allowing Chamo to swoop in and make off with the powerful aphrodisiacs. It may have taken some patience on his end, but the Ermine had finally seen an opportunity to use them. Sure he would have preferred to have his Aniki there to take part in what was inevitably coming, but Chamo could live with the results. The Ermine thanked his lucky fur that they had fallen into his paws and was getting ready to sit back and enjoy the results.

"Mmm... the cinnamon buns were delicious, Ojou-sama, but this chocolate soufflé is absolutely amazing! How did you get it to come out like this?"

"Silly Se-chan. With love of course!"

"O-o-oj-o-" Setsuna's stuttered reply sent a shiver of excitement racing through the ermine's fur. "Ojou-sama, please don't kid like that. What would your father think?"

"Ah, don't ruin the moment Se-chan. Just take another bite. Like this." Konoka stabbed her fork into a slice of the sweet dessert before bringing it to her painted lips. Petite white teeth flashed as she bit into it and gave her lips a luscious lick. " _Mm_. See? I think that you will enjoy it very much."

Chamo snickered as he watched Setsuna follow Konoka's advice. The nervous girl nibbled a bite of soufflé with an embarrassed blush. To her left, and sitting with one hand on the swordswoman's inner thigh, Konoka swallowed a second piece with a seductive smile.

Few sights could make Chamo happier.

Both of the subjects had just swallowed the bait hook, line, and sinker. The potion was fast acting, meaning that it would not be long before it began to take effect. The Ermine had his camera ready to record and a bag of tissues set up in the drawer by his other paw.

Let no one say that he was not prepared. It was almost time for the greatest show on Earth to begin, and the Chamo would not miss even the smallest part of the performance.

"Konoka-san, I'm home."

Tears of joy ran down Chamo's furry face as both girls turned to look at the room's newest arrival. That voice which had to be the sweetest thing Chamo had heard in his entire life. For the source of it had been his big brother, the boy's voice ringing out as he entered the dorm room.

Truly the gods were watching over them this evening!

"Oh boss, your timing rivals that of Eros himself," the Ermine whispered into his drawer of pilfered undergarments. "Thank you, boss, thank you! I promise that when you look back on this night, you will feel only warm feelings of happiness."

The Ermine had only wanted to enjoy a night filled with steamy girl on girl action. Instead, he could achieve his second highest goal: of making his best friend's first time with a woman instead be with at least two beautiful, sexy older women. It was like a dream come true!

"Hey, Se-chan, has Negi-sensei always looked so cute?"

"He's the most handsome man I have ever seen, Ojou-sama. We should invite him to join us for dessert."

"I agree, teeheehee! But what's this? Oh no, Negi-sensei, those clothes you're wearing are all wrinkly. No no no, that won't do at all! Se-chan, help me get them off of him."

"Hai! Your wish is my command, Ojou-sama."

Chamo almost jumped as he fumbled for the camera with his four furry paws. He could not afford to miss this event! He would be forever known as an eternal sinner of the brotherhood of Eros if he failed to capture the night that Negi became a man. It was only when the light on the camera blinked red to show that it was on and recording that Chamo started to relax. The girls were well on their way removing Negi's clothing, but it would be clear on the tape that the evening had only just begun.

It was also the moment that things went completely wrong. Setsuna had just finished stripping a completely flushed and stuttering Negi while Konoka walked over with a bowl of whipped cream and a spoon when a fourth and highly unwelcome individual walked in the door.

"Hey everybody. I'm sorry for being late. Negi and I ran into Iincho and I had to stop her from – OH MY GOD. _KONOKA!_ WHAT ARE YOU AND SETSUNA _DOING_ TO HIM?"

"Hi Asuna! Have you come to join Se-chan and I as we have dessert with Negi-sensei? There's plenty of whipped cream to go around, and I've just put some chocolate to boil on the stove."

"NO! No, I will _not_ join you in your insane debauchery. What the hell has gotten into the two of you? Weren't you planning on having a calm night alone with each other? And Setsuna, take your hands off of Negi and keep them where I can see them!"

There went that plan down the drain. The moment Asuna had appeared, Chamo had known that things were going to go badly. The girl had no appreciation for art and was often a pain in his backside. As the girl went about freeing his aniki and administering swift punishment to the two besotted girls straining to reach the young boy, ruining any possibility of a fun filled evening.

"Asuna, save me! Please! But be careful. I think that they are under some kind of magic spell."

"A spell? Who on Earth would put this kind of a spell on..." Asuna's voice stilled in mid-thought.

Chamo's fur began to stand on end. His aniki had just sold him out! Why did he do that? Chamo had taught him about the bro code years ago! Negi should have known that selling out a bro in this situation went against everything that the bro code stood to uphold.

Was there nothing holy remaining within this world?

" _ **CHAAAAAMOOOOOO!**_ "

Apparently there was not. And if that was not a sign to make for the exit at top speed, then Chamo would be a monkey's uncle.

The Ermine darted out of his drawer and made a break for the door. He only had one chance to make it to freedom before the orange-haired harpy tried to punish him for his perceived sins and he would be damned if he failed to make it.

He failed to reach his destination.

* * *

A world away from the safe confines of Mahora saw a land still held in the icy grip of winter.. A few brave tendrils of green poked their way towards the sun as another wave of ice and snow loomed on the horizon. Soon the oncoming storm would break, venting its fury upon the land below as it dyed the world a single shade of white.

Some distance away, three figures made their way across the snow covered land. Nondescript clothes covered their bodies as they trudged along. They wore cloaks of soft white wool, raised to protect their faces from the wind's chill bite.

The three were within the limits of a burned down village. Charred piles of wood marked the edges of an old road which had run through its center. Scorched stone from ancient walls and buildings littered the area, cracked from the heat of the fire and bearing the marks of a magical battle.

Stone felt the wounds of battle more deeply than anything else of the earth. Tougher and more resilient than its softer brethren, that which it could not resist left wounds which would never heal.

One of the figures grunted as their boots crunched in the white snow. The figure fidgeted uneasily as it moved within the deserted village. It wandered with less purpose than the others, its head moving back forth as though it waged an internal argument. Snarled sounds that no human voice could make came from its darkened hood.

The other two figures conducted a precise search of the area. The two would enter destroyed buildings, moving charred pieces of immense timber aside with the ease of a child playing with sticks. Items were unearthed from rubble and snow. Each was discarded upon inspection as each was determined to be of useless to their search.

This pattern continued for nearly half a day. The sun, which had been rising in the sky upon their entrance to the village, was now setting. The darkness of a northern winter was settling on top of the land's snow blanket as the once far off edge of the storm placed its fingertips on their location.

The first figure finally spoke when the first flakes of snow started to fall. "Kyoka, you know I hate this stuff. Damn shit is too cold for me. My body was made for blowing things up, not trudging through the snow with you and Silver."

One of the others let out a grunt of amusement at their companion's speech, causing the first figure's head to whip around in the others direction. A flame crackled to life on the ground between the two. A flame that was quickly snuffed out by a gust of snow.

"Ah yes. I can't use my powers openly here, now can I?" The first continued. They raised a hand and pointed it at the figure who had grunted. "Because according to the almighty frozen asshole over there, doing that would be bad. And Silver is always right."

Frustrated, the figure dropped their hand and tried to kick the lone rock sticking up in the other figure's direction. However, it turned out the small stone was just the tip of a much larger piece of rock. The figure's hood fell down as they hopped around in obvious pain. Canine features born by no human could be seen, twisted into a demonic visage as the male figure began to scream in fury.

"Dammit! Everything in this entire goddamn world is trying to piss me off. Why can't I have gone looking for those frickin Fairy bastards or just stayed back at the base with Franmalth? Coming along 'just in case you're needed' is a waste of my time." The strange man ceased his jumping after a time and pulled his hood back up with a jerking motion. "I was going to assassinate the entire magic council before we got dragged into this weird universe. Do you understand that? _The entire goddamn magic council!_ And what do I get as compensation when sent over to this hickville? A big pile of frozen shit and a half built base of operations. Son of a bitch! This sucks so much ass that it ain't even funny."

The third figure, a female by the cut of their cloak, opened her mouth to reply as they drew close to village's edge.

The irate man cut her off. "And before you tell me to stop screaming, Kyoka, you know what? You can shut it. This is a complete and fucking waste of our time. We should be kicking ass and taking names instead of working like lackey's for that white-haired bastard."

"If you feel that way then you should help us search, Jackal. If you did, we would most likely be back to the other world much faster," Kyoka said in an icy tone. Possessing a cultured voice, the woman left inhumanly clawed footprints in the snow. "Also, we are not working as lackey's. It is merely an alliance of convenience and nothing more."

The one named Jackal made a rude hand sign in her direction. "Fuck that." Spotting another item sticking up from the snow, he raised his foot to kick it as well. A grin grew on his face as he took careful aim at the third figure's back.

"Jackal. Hold! Do not move your foot." Kyoka's voice halted Jackal's kick. Surprisingly enough the man listened to her. Though the action of halting his moment did cause him to lose balance and fall to the snowy ground in an undignified heap.

A stream of angry words flew out of his mouth as he glared at her. "Shit Kyoka, really? Why'd you stop me?"

"Yes Jackal. Really. Now move out of my way." She pushed him aside and knelt on the ground. Her hands gently removed the snow covering the object's surface. "Silver, come over here. Is this what we were asked to locate?"

The one named Silver stopped his own search. With a crunch of snow the man padded over and plucked a small blue bottle out of the snow. His hood fell down to reveal a dark-haired man with a strong jaw and weathered face.

Dark stubble glinted with threads of silver as the man grinned in satisfaction. "Yeah, this looks like the thing alright. We're pretty lucky to have found it out here. My contact said that it would most likely be located closer to the village's center." Silver gave a resonant chuckle and held it towards his talkative companion. "It's a good idea we brought you along, Jackal. Your boredom probably saved us a lot of extra searching."

Jackal backed away from the object as though it were made of acid. "Whatever, asshole. Just keep the damn thing away from me, alright? This world has some seriously messed up magic. Figuring out how to adapt has been a pain and I don't feel like making it all a waste of my time."

Silver gave a second resonant chuckle and tied the bottle to his belt with a leather thong. "And that, Jackal, is just one of the reasons why we can't yet use our abilities openly. Magic here can be tricky and subtle, just like this little bottle."

He then extended a hand to Kyouka, allowing the lady to use it to stand up. The woman brushed some of the snow from her knees once she was fully upright. Flashes of a scaled body with claws for hands slipped through the cloak's concealment as she brushed. The reptilian body was at odds with her cultured voice.

"The day is approaching when we can move as we please, but today is not that day. Not until we have finished our reconnaissance and discovered a method to free Lord Zeref from his prison in this realm will we use our powers openly. There are too many factions that we still do not understand, and it would not behoove our mission to be captured or killed by those of this world who are still beyond our reach."

An audible 'tsk' of frustration escaped her mouth at this statement, as though the woman found it utterly vexing. "And despite our best efforts, we still know the location of only a single Fairy. If each of us were able to make it through, and one of them has as well, then it stands to reason that each of them must have made it through too. Our only saving grace appears to be that they have yet to find one another, thus ceding the advantage to us."

The feminine monster turned a piercing stare upon Jackal, causing the male to scowl in annoyance. He had opened his mouth to respond to her words but shut it with a click.

The woman continued in her cultured, icy tone. "Before you say anything, Jackal, remember this. The others remain unaccounted for and she is too powerful for us to take on without causing a scene. We will not make our move on her and risk antagonizing the powers of this world in the process."

She patted Jackal's shoulder as she moved past. "Have patience as we wait. All doors will open to us in time so long as we do not close them."

Jackal grumbled to himself but kept his voice down. With things their goal accomplished and no reason to linger, the three figures tightened their cloaks and set off the way they had come.

All trace of their footprints was wiped away by the soft falling snow.

 **END**

 **A/N:** I said that the next chapter would be posted quickly and ta da! Here it is at the last moment. It is only a short one though as it is a transition chapter that starts off the second arc. I hemmed and hawed quite a bit regarding the Chamo scene, worrying whether I would be better off just spinning it into a bonus chapter or as a stand alone side-fic. Still, I wanted something that would be a jarring break to the past narrative which was focused on the sense of loss felt by Natsu and Gray. And what better to change those gears than by switching to one of humor and romance? Or at least, that's what I thought in my head. I'll base my future actions regarding similar material on the feedback that all of you provide. So if it sucks – then please tell me so that I don't do it again. And if it doesn't – well, please let me know so that I can quite worrying :)

On the bright side we are nearly at the end of my old material. Woohoo! The next chapter coming up is the end of that stuff, and that is being generous. I rewrote the thing extensively and I am – for one of the few times – actually quite pleased with how it turned out.

That chapter will be posted on Friday the 15th and then there will possibly be a long delay before the next one. I have the next chapter finished and the chapter afterwards mostly complete, but I want to stay at least 2 chapters ahead of what I have posted. And as I mentioned last chapter my writing schedule is only just starting to calm down, so I am not expecting to bust out 5 or 10 thousand words in a day anytime soon.

On to the comments section!

 _Chamo:_ He's an integral part of Negima and makes for useful comedic relief, so I had to keep him around. But unlike in canon, Chamo is going to be punished for his bad behavior. And while he will not change his ways (in my eyes he is both irredeemable _and_ irrepressible), Chamo will _not_ have the same free reign that he did in the series. Natsu, Erza, and the rest of the Fairies will not look kindly upon his perverted behavior – which, quite frankly, often crosses the boundaries of humor and forays into disturbing breaches of privacy and sexual harassment – and will take steps to curb it.

Evangeline and Asuna will also not be quite so forgiving or uncaring as they were in canon Negima.

An unfortunately necessary part of any good story are characters we love to hate. Harry Potter has Umbridge. Gundam Seed has Flay. And Halo had 343 Guilty Sparks (rot in hell, you mother%(*^&!$ piece of trash). It helps the characters we love stand out better and can give the plot more definition.

 _Konoka and Setsuna:_ It's a thing. A very important thing, and one that will not be going away. And in case it was not clear each of their actions prior to Negi entering the room were done completely of their own free will. It was only when Negi entered that Chamo's lust potions activated, turning the two girl's amorous attention upon him instead of one another.

 _Villains:_ They don't yet know where Natsu and the others are located, but when they do learn… _man_ will the fireworks fly. Stay tuned for further developments because they have been busy little bees off screen, and some of that work will make an appearance in this current arc.

As to which of the Faeries has been located… well, there are four female candidates to choose from. I wish you luck in your guessing.

 _Pairings:_ After much internal debate, PMs, and reviews, I have decided to post some - not all, but some - of the pairings. They will be found at the bottom of chapter 14 and chapter 1. But keep in mind, while some (like KonokaxSetsuna) will be ovious and clearly shown, others will appear like this: Natsux?. That is so that I do not completely handicap myself by taking away my ability to use romantic misdirection on ya'll. I'll get the big ones in there but will keep a couple close to my vest.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _What She Wants_ by Warlordress. This is a short and complete Pokemon fanfic featuring Ash and Misty as the pairing. With Ash all grown up and successful, his mother Delia has started to feel her age and wants her son to find a pretty girl and settle down. Filled with humor and pokeshipping fluff.

Until Next Time,

~Elsil


	14. The Beauty of a Reporter

**Disclaimer:** The following story is a fan made work of fiction. _Fairy Tail_ and _Mahou Sensei Negima!_ are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.

 **Chapter 14**

 **The Beauty of a Reporter**

One week had passed in the outside world since the events that transpired within Evangeline's magical diorama. The whirlwind series of events had finally calmed down, allowing for Negi to catch his mental bearing for the first time in weeks.

Gray and Takamichi had left one true day after the showdown between Natsu and Evangeline. The man had been in an impatient rush to leave. Given Takamichi's connections, the duo should currently be somewhere in Magic Mundus. Any contact with them would be sporadic though, as the communication channels between the magical and mundane worlds were difficult at best.

Meanwhile, Natsu had been forced to stay in Evangeline's cabin to heal slowly. Evangeline had not exactly say why this had to done, but Negi had an odd feeling that her motives were not entirely done from the goodness of her heart. Natsu himself had not objected to this until Negi had accidentally let slip that the Diorama was under a time dilation spell.

The revelation that time inside of the Diorama passed at a 24:1 ratio been an incredible revelation to the young man from another world. Natsu's reaction had been so extreme that one of Evangeline's dolls, a Chachazero, had shot him with several tranquilizer darts so that he would not accidentally hurt himself in his injured state. He had also not calmed down very much in the time since. Smoke had quite literally been coming out of the man's ears the last time Negi had visited the cabin.

As for Negi and Asuna, the two of them had settled into a new routine. Each day they would go to class and interact with all of their friends like normal. The two of them would smile, talk with them, and participate in the comforting routines of normality. Then every night and on the occasional afternoon the two partners would leave their dorm room to train under their new master in the magical arts, Evangeline.

Or to put it more accurately, the vampire would beat the ideas and techniques into their bodies and expect them to learn it. Neither Negi nor Asuna had really known what they were getting themselves into when they had accepted the vampire's offer.

What made it worse is that Evangeline had not even started to teach them anything fancy. No big new spells for Negi. Nor any fancy super powered fighting technique for Asuna. The vampire had decided to start at the beginning and was focused on drilling in the fundamentals.

Again. And again. And again. Every time Negi went to the diorama inside of her cabin there would be some new horror added on to his training regime. And with each new horror the list of things that the two partners had agreed would never be spoken of to anyone else grew ever longer.

The first true night had been a rundown of every spell he knew and every spell that he was interested in learning. Simple enough in theory and quite common within the magical world. But with there was a twist.

After he had shown her every single spell he knew how to cast, except for the one spell he would never show anyone, Evangeline had proceeded to verbally rip apart and critique even the slightest of details involved in his spell casting. His speed was too slow, his movements were too easy to discern, his pronunciation too poor. Then, when Negi had nearly been reduced to the point of tears, Evangeline said she expected him to cast each and every spell he had just shone without rest until he collapsed. All in order to 'temper his spirit while increasing his familiarity with the magic's feel.' Or something to that effect.

Negi still did not know what had been asked of Asuna that night. Casting so many spells in such a short amount of time for consecutive twenty-four hour cycles had left his memory of that time rather hazy. All he knew was that it had involved taking away her fan and sticking her into a blizzard simulation that nearly gave her hypothermia. She then decided to skip the next two nights of training.

The second true night had been much the same as the first. Except with the added difficulty of being asked to dodge water balloons and the occasional knife. Evangeline had gone into her room to study something and had left that night's training in the hand's of Chachazero. The doll had made it clear to Negi that, in its mind, unless the person training ended up bleeding or passed out said person was not training hard enough. There had also been a lot grumbling about there not being enough blood, but Negi tried not to think about that portion. Much of it fell onto 'the never to be spoken of list'.

The third night had been entirely different. Evangeline had been waiting for him with a blindfold and set of ear plugs that Negi had been instructed to wear. He had then spent the next few twenty four hour cycles learning how to sense and recognize an enemy mage's magical signature in a combat situation without relying on any of his other senses. If he succeeded, then Negi was allowed to rest. But if he failed, then it was back to Chachazero for extended training. This time with more knives and fewer balloons.

Negi had failed that test. A lot. Resulting in 'the never to be spoken of list' gaining its longest entry to date. One which he hoped was never exceeded or surpassed.

The young mage never saw Asuna during his training even after she returned from her brief hiatus. This in spite of the fact that his partner was in there almost as often and long as Negi himself. All she had told him was that Evangeline was teaching her basic sword techniques with some help from Setsuna and asked him to leave it at that.

But as exhausting as it was, the training was already improving them. Asuna now walked with a grace that she had previously lacked and appeared to have forged a close friendship with Setsuna. Negi himself felt stronger, faster, and more aware of his surroundings. Several of his female students had remarked on the changes, although the blushes on their faces as they spoke were truly mystifying.

This day saw Negi standing in front of 3-A. It was the last period on Friday and most of the girl's were bursting with energy and excitement for the weekend to start. They had been excitedly telling each other their plans. Most had invited Negi to join them. Unable to tell them all no, Negi had agreed to join several of them. He had left roughly eight hours free on both days and they were now completely filled.

The young teacher let out a soft sigh as he felt a headache coming on. He knew what he had been getting himself into when he had asked Evangeline to be his teacher, but it was just like that old saying. Theory and supposition were completely different than practical experience. Negi's hair was frizzled and both of his eyes were red from lack of sleep. The edge of his usually sharp suit was rumpled and the young teacher knew that the eyes of every girl in the room hung on every movement.

Time-manipulation magic or not, a seemingly immutable truth of the world was that there was never enough time to get everything done.

A quick look at Asuna showed that she too was in the same boat. The twin-tailed girl looked to be in nearly as bad a state as her young teacher, with the bells in her hair hanging askew and her uniform rumpled. The girl was currently giving him a sleepy glare that had started to become her standard expression whenever she looked at him.

Negi shifted his collar higher as her glare burned into his back. He knew Asuna thought that he was pushing himself too hard, but she just did not understand his reasoning. She did not understand his need to push himself. His need to catch up to his father's back, to prove to himself that his father was still alive and well in this world.

To do that would take strength on the level of Evangeline or his father, and that sort of strength did not come easily. It was the product of thousands of hours spent learning and training. Because if anyone was able to save or destroy a city on a whim, civilization as everyone knew it would have never been possible. Magical governments had a hard enough time as it was when there were only a few dozen reclusive masters capable of fighting off entire armies. But no, those were thoughts for another day.

It was with an effort of will that Negi pushed those thoughts away in order to concentrate on finishing the day's final lesson. Training for nearly two months in one week was no reason to shirk his duties. If he were to fail his students in such a critical endeavor, Negi would never be worthy of standing beside a hero like his father. Negi had been entrusted with overseeing their education, and it was a responsibility that he took seriously.

"When writing in English, one of the trickiest things to remember are contractions and how they are used. Using the wrong contraction, or using the wrong one at an incorrect section of the sentence can change the entire meaning of what you are trying to convey, especially when the contractions look similar to another word. As an example, there is a world of difference between words like 'your' and 'you're'. Both words sound exactly the same and have only minor spelling differences, yet the two words have very different meanings in practice."

Negi scanned the room, looking for a student to call upon. The exuberant Yukihiro had her hand raised high into the air. Her dedication to learning was very admirable, but he was not certain that her grasp of the English language would be up to the task. The young teacher decided to play it safe and went with someone who would be able to answer the question with ease. "Miss Asakura, could you please describe the difference for the rest of the class?"

Kazumi Asakura stood up from her seat in the front of the class with a smile. Dressed in her uniform, the beautiful redhead shot him a dazzling smile. "Of course, sensei. May I stand in front of the class to better explain it?"

He only thought over the girl's proposal for a moment before finding it satisfactory. Maybe it would take away some of those burning gazes he felt focused on his every move whenever he stood in front of the class by himself.

"Okay then everyone!" Asakura said as she left her seat in the front row to stand next to Negi. "No offense to you sense, but let's make this subject fun!

A rowdy laugh came from a few members of the class at the redhead's words. Asakura clapped her hands together in thanks and flashed her dazzling smile once again.

"You see, the English term 'you're' is most commonly a combination of you and are. As sensei said it is defined as a contraction. It is two separate words that are combined into one, and you would use it when saying something like 'you're so nice and cuddly, sensei' or 'you're so sexy today, sensei!'"

A collective giggle ran through the class as Asakura flashed him a smile. Negi felt his headache growing worse. Still, it was just business as usual, so he gestured for the cheeky redhead to continue speaking.

"Now it is important to not confuse this contraction with the proper word 'your.' This word is a form of the possessive and is not a contraction. An example of how to use it in a sentence would be 'your boat is floating down the river' or 'your sensei is a little hottie, _squee!_ '"

This time the collective giggle in response to Asakura's words was anything _but_ muted. Makie and the cheerleaders burst into an excited babble, whose feverish pitch made Negi wince. The twins quickly joined them as Haruna added her two cents in a lower but no less excited tone.

"Sensei! Go out on a date with us this weekend!"

"Hey sensei. You can come and stay with us for the weekend. Twice the girls is twice the fun!"

"Forget them sensei, come and help me with my artwork! I'm in the middle of drawing a new manga featuring you, Takamichi, and your cousin Natsu. It's my best work to date!"

Meanwhile, a frothing Iincho burst from her seat as the other girls yelled out their propositions to the young teacher and had to be restrained by Asuna. Negi was not overstating it either. The girl was literally foaming at the mouth. He had no idea how or why, but his own two eyes could confirm it.

"Silent you arrogant hussies! Sensei and I are connected by the eternal bond of _love_ between us. We have sworn to live and die in each other's arms, and none of you can have him. Now unhand me Asuna. I must claim sensei's body and mark it as my own!"

"As if I would ever let you do that you crazy shotacon. Now sit back down and cool your jets before I make you!"

"Never! Sensei shall be mine!"

The chaos started by Asakura's little speech spiraled further out of control as nearly everyone in the class started to insert their own thoughts on the matter. Negi found himself answering all sorts of strange questions which left him feeling nothing but confusion. What did being 'taken' or 'a virgin' have to do with anything?

Girls were strange. The more time he spent with them, the more they confused him. That was the opposite of how things were supposed to work! It flew in the face of every hallmark of evidence and experience based system of learning that Negi had ever studied. More experience and more familiarity _should_ have meant more knowledge and understanding. That this was not the case was utterly maddening!

He had once thought that his rambunctious friend Anya was an outlier. That most girls and older women were like his kind older sister Nekane, or like the pleasant older girls he had studied with back at the Academy in Wales. But this assumption was not being proven true. Oh no, as his time in Mahora was teaching him there were a wide range of possibilities for women with an entire rainbow of personalities and actions they could take. Most of which were as clear to him as a thick piece of obsidian.

It was only with the help of a few more discipline minded students like Chizuru and Kaede that Negi was finally able to reestablish any kind of control over the classroom. Once things had calmed down enough to the point he could be heard, Negi shot Asakura a pointed look as he reprimanded the girl.

"That was mean, miss Asakura."

The redheaded girl smirked and moved closer to Negi, her eyes fixed on a part of his neck. "I know it was, sensei, but I couldn't resist after you kept such an important secret from us. That wasn't very nice of you to deceive everyone."

Negi gulped as cries once again erupted from the class behind him. Unsure of how to react, the young teacher stood stock still. He suddenly felt like an antelope being hunted through the grass by a pride of lions. One lion had split off from the rest, but should he be taken down then the rest of the pride would undoubtedly pounce on him.

"Wh-wha-what secret are you talking about?" Negi stammered out as the girl reached his side. Her narrowed eyes somehow kept him frozen in place. And why did he suddenly feel so warm? "I-I don't know what you mean, miss Asakura."

"Aw, it's adorable even when you try to lie to us. Don't worry sensei, I promise that I'll be gentle."

The redheaded girl reached over and, in one quick jerk, pulled Negi's collar, exposing his neck for everyone to see. She slowly stroked the barely visible marks on his skin with a soft, gentle touch of her fingers. Marks left by Evangeline as payment for his training fee.

"Why don't you tell us who left all of these hickies on your neck?"

* * *

Two days later saw a beautiful Sunday morning in Mahora Academy. The spring weather had just taken a turn for the better. A hot front was blowing in from the warm seas south of Japan. The air it blew in was rather warm and humid for this time of year, thus making it a perfect weekend day for wearing skimpy clothing.

Kazumi Asakura, clad in stylishly cut denim shorts and a tight pink tank top, hummed to herself as she walked through the woods of Mahora. She wasn't truly fond of long walks in forested terrain, but both Negi and Asuna had been adamant about it. If the reporter in training wanted to get further involved with everything surrounding the child teacher as she had requested on the train, then she would need start by accompany them on this little expedition to some cabin in the forest.

The aspiring report had shown up at their dorm early in the morning. Things had started normally enough, with the redhead popping into their room just as Konoka had laid out breakfast. Kazumi had cheerfully stated her intent and had immediately moved back from the door as several objects were tossed at her grinning face by Asuna. The orange-haired girl was apparently still ticked off over Kazumi's classroom antics regarding Negi's hickeys. Kazumi made a mental note that two days of good behavior was not enough to earn either forgiveness or forgetfulness from the bell wearing girl.

Luckily for her, Asuna's roommates were far more forgiving and had invited the redheaded girl in for tea.

Negi-sensei and Konoka had greeted her warmly, with the dark-haired girl even serving the redhead a delicious cup of morning tea. After exchanging a few pleasantries over the tea, Negi had invited her to tag along with them for the day. Kazumi had accepted gladly.

After all, more time spent in sensei's company gave her more information to dish out to the rest of 3-A.

Unfortunately, Asuna had forced a caveat onto her. If she really wanted to involve herself with the mysteries surrounding the young teach, Kazumi would have to accompany sensei on a little side trip as well.

Which was how she found herself trekking through the woods on a hot, muggy day while Konoka stayed behind in an air conditioned room.

Asakura was not the most woodsy of girls. Not by a long shot. But one thing she prided herself on was being adaptable.

If the Negi and Asuna wanted to do some magical training, or ritual, or some such thing in the woods to try and test her resolve, then Asakura was certain that she could find a way to keep herself entertained and productive.

So what if she was sweating far more than usual? So what if her muscles ached from keeping up with two energizer bunny clones for close to two hours? The life of a journalist was not for the faint of heart. Not when the scoop of a lifetime was waiting to be claimed.

Besides, if the training involved something flashy or intense she could darn well watch and file it away inside her brain for future reference. She had a feeling that Negi would someday amount to something. That he would be someone who accomplished great things. Someday the world's masses would someday want to know about how he started on his journey.

As far as she was concerned, waiting and watching the kid as he grew and developed was well worth her time. Someone with his brains and talent would never be satisfied with just teaching at a private academy. One day Negi would change the world, and she would be right there beside him, chronicling his every step.

And if she just so happened to publish everything as a Kazumi Asakura exclusive, could anyone possibly blame her?

He was her Rocky Balboa. Her Michael Phelps. A magical version of Bruce Lee multiplied by a factor of ten! Negi was the unknown stud that would shoot out of the dark and take the champion's podium for his own, leaving the entire world changed in her wake. All of her senses screamed this and more at her, urging her to get closer to him at every opportunity.

In Negi, Kazumi had every amateur journalist's dream. An exclusive inside scoop on a story of global significance. A story that would shake the foundations of modern society itself. Complete with a 'how it all began' angle too. And best of all, it all belong to _her._

She had plans for the future. Big ones. After documenting her sensei's rise to power and reporting on his accomplishments, Kazumi would use that to become the greatest freelance journalist the world had ever known. Her fame would cross borders as her stories reached into the hearts of billions.

She would travel to far flung places in search of stories to ignite the passions of others. Take trips to sprawling cities, undertake assignments in the deepest of jungles, and have harrowing escapades in war-torn nations. Because sitting at a desk was not for her.

Oh no, it was the call of the wild blue yonder which stirred her soul. The thrill of chasing down a lead, the exultation of unearthing unknown troves of information, and the satisfaction of bringing it all together and putting it on display.

Becoming an editor – or worse, an _anchor_ – with some big shot network was not in her dreams. Such a life could never satisfy the dreamer or the adventurer within her heart. Those jobs were where average journalist's achieved fame by stepping on the backs of others, and where the great ones went to live off the fat of past glories. Kazumi Asakura could never stoop to being a two-bit flunky like them.

All of the time and effort she sank in with the child teacher and his cohorts was a way to prepare, or train, herself for the future she envisioned. And gosh was she learning that she was woefully under prepared for what might come her way. Because after spending over a half a day with both Asuna and Negi Kazumi had reached a single overriding conclusion.

That despite her own well-toned body – which she took great care in maintaining – she was nowhere near the same level of conditioning as either of them.

Oh sure, Kazumi always took time out of every day to do a few physical exercises. She enjoyed the burn of a good work out as much as anyone her age. That it sharpened her focus and gave her a killer figure of which she was quite proud was just the icing on top of the cake for her.

Yet the rapid pace Asuna had set for the trio as they walked had caused a slight sheen of perspiration to cover Kazumi's forehead – and other, less obvious, parts of her body as well. A bandanna that she kept tucked into her back pocket was already completely soaked from mopping it out of her eyes. All while neither Asuna nor Negi had so much as a hair out of place.

How truly irksome.

Kazumi knew that she could never compete with Asuna when it came to sports or similar activities. The other girl had been a standout athlete for as long as Kazumi had known her and was well known as a freak of nature when it came to physical abilities. However, she had figured that she would be able to at least keep up with a ten year old child. Sure he was precocious, and highly intelligent to boot, but the boy was still just a ten year old child whose muscles were not even close to being fully developed.

Oh how wrong she was to ever think such a thought. Not only was Negi keeping up with Asuna, but it was starting to look like Negi had the body of a future star athlete. His short, stumpy legs of a ten year old boy moved non-stop, easily pacing Asuna's longer legs.

Kazumi looked closer at her teacher. Wait a moment. Had he grown? After a moment spent looking at the boy and comparing him to Asuna, the answer was obvious. The boy really _had_ grown since he had first arrived in Mahora. Only by an inch or two, sure, but the difference was clear once she started to look.

Huh. If he kept up that rate of growth, then maybe he would end up turning into a hunk sooner than everyone thought. That was good news for everyone in the class that had their eyes on him. Kazumi, though, would need to adjust her bet in the pool. Her bet was nowhere near as outrageous as that of of Ayaka – who had predicted that the boy's 'flower would bloom' the day he realized her love or some such nonsense – but Kazumi did stand to make a nice bit of profit should her guess be correct.

It was while thinking of what new date she should pick that Kazumi caught Asuna glancing backwards. The other girl was probably checking to see if the redhead could keep up with them. Her quiet concern offset Kazumi's annoyance. The redhead was not so proud as to be bothered by honest worry. It did make her push herself a little harder. She would not let herself fall in either of their eyes for something as simple as a hike through Mahora's woods.

"Look Negi, we're almost to Eva-chan's cabin." From her position ahead Asuna pointed to something currently out of Kazumi's sight. The other girl's blue t-shirt hiked up over her jeans as she gestured. "I'm actually a little surprised to see it still standing. I would've thought that Natsu would have blown the thing up by now, the way he and the psychotic midget have been getting along with one another."

"Um, not really, Asuna-san." Negi replied. A small brown satchel bounced on his hip, flopping against his dark cargo pants. "According to Chachamaru, the two of them have been spending most of their time inside of her diorama since Natsu healed. Master gets really bad allergies this time of year and tries to avoid the outside world as much as possible, which is why she hasn't been to class all week."

"Ah, so that's why she hasn't been around. And here I was hoping that she got a taste of her own medicine." Asuna scowled. "Bah! I wonder what she has in store for us today?"

"It's better not to think about that Asuna-san. The horror will come soon enough."

"Ugh! Yeah, I guess that you're right about that. But is it too much to ask for someone to take her down a notch or three?"

"Yep. It would take someone like my father to do that. Natsu-san is definitely strong, but he's not yet _that_ strong."

Kazumi looked back and forth between them but stayed silent during the exchange. The two of had just opened a gold mine of information. She needed time to process and absorb it.

She vaguely remembered Natsu from the train ride back from Kyoto, but other than that nothing else regarding him came to her mind. Apparently she should have payed closer attention to him. He was apparently a wizard of some type like her teacher, and a powerful one at that.

Nothing shocked her, though, like learning that quiet little Evangeline and the calm former teacher Takamichi Takahata were powerful wizards as well. How had Kazumi been so blind? She had been around those two for years and never gotten so much as a whiff that they were magical. Failing so immensely was a blow to her self-confidence.

Negi then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the cabin came into view for Asakura. "Just be careful Asuna-san. Chachamaru mentioned yesterday as I left that there had been some new friction between the two of them. She didn't say anything more than that, but I got the feeling that it was pretty serious."

 _Chachamaru?_ He could say her name without attaching any of his usual honorifics? Quite odd and worthy of note. Kazumi filed that little tidbit away for further investigation.

She had pegged the other girl as the shy, quiet type. But then, so was Nodoka, and from Kazumi's observations the resident bookworm had spent an awfully large amount of time with Negi in Kyoto. Maybe that sort of girl was his type? If so, then poor Ayaka was doomed to die of sorrow.

"If that's the case, then color me surprised if he hasn't been drained of blood when we arrive."

Wait. What?

Kazumi almost yelled at Asuna to back up and repeat her words. Eva drank blood? Like some kind of vampire? As in, their classmate Eva was a vampire that drank blood? Kazumi's eyes widened as the sweat began to pour down her back for an entirely new reason.

Had she unknowingly stepped into some kind of horror story?

"Last time I was there that one creepy doll of hers with the butcher's knife and everything kept freaking me out. It wouldn't stop talking about how lovely veins along my the veins on my wrists were while I was sparring with Setsuna. Or how they stood out on my pale skin and would make it easier for her mistress to drain."

"Asuna-san!" Negi cried out. "Don't say something like that – it might actually be true!"

"Exactly. For all we know, the three of us are walking towards a murder scene. You're a complete idiot for thinking that Eva-chan can reform overnight. She's had God knows how long to do it and has shown damn few signs that of it ever happening." Asuna muttered as she broke through the forest and into a small clearing. A recently felled tree which looked to have suffered fire damage of some sort blocked her path momentarily.

The athletic girl hopped over it with barely a glance as she finished speaking. "People stay true to form, Negi. Bad people are bad and good people are good. It's as simple as that."

Meanwhile, Asakura could see flashes of a wooden structure ahead but still was not close enough to confirm for herself whether it was a cabin. She had fallen somewhat further behind the other two when she had fallen into thought. After picking up that Eva might be a vengeful vampire who ate people, Kazumi was a little worried that she had gotten in over her head. She took a moment to take in and release a deep breath before she moved to catch up to them.

The die were already cast. There was no point in turning back and leaving this scoop behind. If she did, then she would forever regret the decision.

"You might be right, Asuna-san, but what if you aren't? What if she really does have good inside of her?" Negi said with a pout.

The kid's face was utterly adorable when he did that. Kazumi could feel the gloom that had settled on her heart disperse somewhat. Ahead, Asuna gave a defeated sigh and just shook her head in response. Not even she was immune to the boy's natural charm.

"She really is trying her best Asuna-san. Honestly. We asked for the kind of training she is giving us. And we can forgive her if she trips and falls a little every now and then, right?"

"If beating someone to the point of hospitalization is her tripping then we seriously need to work on your sense of ethics," Asuna said. "Starting with no more of those stupid Jean Claude van Damme movies before bedtime. They're rotting your brains if you're thinking that being her student is a good idea."

"There's nothing wrong with my ethics!" Negi yelled as he windmilled both arms. "And they are _not_ rotting my brains. His movies are _amazing_. Even Konoka-san enjoys watching them. She told me so herself just last night!"

"Uh huh. That was only because Setsuna, who is evidently the world's number one van Damme fan after you, was within hearing distance. You know that, right?"

"No, I don't. Why would something to do with Setsuna change the way Konoka likes something anyway?"

The question made both Asuna and Kazumi halt. Both girl's looked at one another as they each appeared to wrestle with the complexities of explaining the burgeoning relationship between Konoka and Setsuna to the young boy.

After a few moments of awkward silence, though, both girls just shook their head. Kazumi knew that she did not want to be the one to explain the birds and the bees to her young teacher – let alone the girl with girl version – and it appeared that Asuna was of a similar mind.

"Um, never mind, Negi." Asuna said. Her cheeks were a lovely shade of pink as she spoke. "Forget that I even mentioned it. Just chalk it up to neither one of us knowing anything about that French moron until you brought it up."

"What she said, Negi-kun. Trust me, it would take too long to explain." Kazumi may have loved to tease the boy at every opportunity, but there were some lines that you just did not cross. Not unless you wanted to open the can of worms that was the class of 3-A, all of whom would be screaming bloody murder at the thought that Asuna and Kazumi were teaching Negi sexual education without telling anyone else. That was a surefire way to end up three feet under while your next of kin wondered what had happened to you.

"Ah! Fine, whatever," Negi pouted. The boy's thin lips trembled from emotion while his small shoulders bunched tightly together, pinching his blue t-shirt tight tight across his chest. "It's not worth arguing about since I'm right anyway."

A coo escaped Kazumi's mouth without her conscious approval as she watched his beautiful face.

The sound lingered in the still forest air, causing Negi to turn his head around in confusion. Alarmed at her loss of control, Kazumi snapped her mouth shut and moved her head to peer at something in the trees above. The boy turned his head to follow her gaze, and a late-turning Asuna followed both of their gazes.

Kazumi was in luck as a slim, feathery shape darted through the branches.

"Stupid bird calls," Asuna said. "Ninety percent of them are pretty, but there's always at least one in every forest that sounds just plain weird."

Both Asuna and Negi quickly lost interest in the bird and resumed their walk. Kazumi's had gotten away with the slip.

She trailed behind them, berating herself intently over it. Losing control of herself when they had been giving away valuable information for free was embarrassing. Worse, if Asuna had caught on, the reporter-in-training would have been in hot water.

Kazumi was not like Ayaka or Makie with their obsessive interest in the young teacher. Was she all too willing to stoke that fire to see the bizarre lengths her classmates would go to capture the young teacher? Most certainly. But did she partake in it herself? Not in the slightest. She was no oji-chan lover like Asuna, but younger men were not really her thing. Besides, knowing how protective Asuna could be over their sensei meant that the other girl would probably have interpreted Asakura's coo the wrong way.

Yet unbidden, Kazumi found her thoughts turning back to her earlier observation about Negi's recent growth spurt. The boy was certainly growing faster than anyone had expected. If he kept up this rate of growth, then by the time puberty hit he was almost guaranteed to be one seriously tall man. And judging by his bone structure, the boy would be one helluva looker.

Oh God no. No, that was forbidden territory. She would not follow the rest of her classmates and jump down that particular rabbit hole. No, she would just stick to her established routine of bomb throwing and harassment. Anything further was out of the question, regardless of how handsome Negi might someday grow to look.

Thankfully Negi and Asuna started speaking again, giving Kazumi much needed space as she tried to reign in her suddenly out of control imagination.

"Anyway, Asuna-san," Negi said. "What _is_ important is that master needs a positive influence in her life. As both her homeroom teacher and her newly accepted student it is up to me to help her find it. To do otherwise would be irresponsible as a teacher, as a student, and as my father's son."

Asuna stopped dead in her tracks. " _What?_ " She yelled. "That makes no sense at all. _Are you an idiot?_ "

"I am _not_ an idiot, Asuna-san!" he yelled back. "And yes it does make sense. I just explained it to you!"

"No. No you didn't. Not enough, anyway." The girl threw both arms into the air in evident exasperation. "The woman is insane Negi. Every day of teaching only drives that point in deeper beneath my skin. I just don't see how you can't see it yourself!"

If someone's hair could stand on end from emotion, Asakura would have sworn that Asuna's was doing it at that moment. The orange-haired girl had locked gazes with Negi to prove her point and fallen into a glaring contest with the ten year old magician.

Neither one looked as though they were willing to concede an inch with one another, and both had completely forgotten about Asakura's presence. The redhead watched as the two began arguing again, listening as it devolved into about as petty of an argument as one could image.

As amusing as it was to see Negi reduced to his actual age and Asuna reduced to her mental age, Kazumi could not allow it to go on any longer. It had the feeling of an argument that would just keep going until they both ran out of fuel and collapsed out of exhaustion.

Kazumi readied herself internally. Then she gave a polite cough and spoke up. "Ahem," she said. "In my opinion, both of you are complete and _utter_ idiots who need to shut up and actually listen to one another."

A veritable chill settled upon the forest as both of their gazes swung to her. The fury in both their eyes almost caused the redhead to step back in concern.

Asuna looked like she wanted to bite Kazumi's head off while Negi looked about ready to put her in time out. Well, wasn't that a _great_ way to start things off. Fail to make any headway and instead make them both of them turn their anger upon. Bloody fantastic!

Well, it was not like she had anything better to do at the moment. Kazumi already had one foot in the dispute. She might as well bet it all on her ability to talk things out and put the other foot in as well.

"I don't really understand everything that's currently going on between the two of you – this feels like something you've been arguing about for awhile – or who that what's his face van Damme guy is," she said in a calm tone. "But let me take a crack at it. 'Kay?"

Without giving either of them time to speak, Kazumi held up her left hand and stated ticking off items on her fingers as she spoke. "What I've gathered so far is that Negi-kun is that ' _A_ ' our classmate Evangeline – who is 'B', a bloodsucking vampire that has caused serious harm to at least one person we know – is teaching both of you magic or something; that ' _C_ ' Asuna thinks Evangeline is a blood-thirsty menace to society who should have a stake driven through her heart once said training is complete; 'D', that Negi disagrees and thinks that she is on the road to redemption; and that ' _E_ ', the two of you have been fighting over this for more than just a few minutes."

A cocky grin worked its way onto the future reporter's face as she finished speaking. Never let them see you nervous. Only let them see you confident. Words by which Kazumi lived. "Do I have it straight so far?"

Momentary silence greeted her words. Then a quick, short nod of acknowledgment came from each,

"Excellent," she said as she clapped her hands together. "Then I have only one thing to add to this discussion: Negi-kun, will you hold true to your belief that Evangeline can be redeemed, _despite_ knowing how dangerous she is, and despite knowing how much it would make Asuna worry over your safety?"

Kazumi flung a hand in Asuna's direction, cutting the other girl off before she could do more than open her mouth. "Don't say a word Asuna. This question is for Negi-kun alone."

It took him a moment to answer. The young boy's face dropped its petulant look, lapsing into thoughtfulness.

A twinge ran through Kazumi's heart as she watched. Negi had a look on his face that was far too old for any child. One that made him look much older than his short years. For perhaps the first time since she had met him, Negi actually looked like the too young boy who had managed to become a teacher at ten years of age.

When Negi did speak it was both calmly and slowly. "Master is a dangerous individual. She is an immortal vampire that has committed atrocities in the past and has threatened the life of both myself and my father, vowing vengeance on us both. She has earned the highest bounty offer of any single individual in the magical world, and is aptly known as the Apostle of Destruction for the destructive power of her magic." He gave a small, sad smile. "All of which is but a tiny part of her dark reputation that stretches over seven hundred years."

Kazumi could not help herself. She let out a surprised whistle at her classmate's surprisingly monstrous history. If everything Negi just said was true then it was no wonder that Asuna was throwing a fit. Any sane person would.

How had such a person been allowed into the classroom of a bunch of young and unsuspecting girls? Not just for a short time either, but for years!

Oh well. Those were questions for a later time.

"But even so, even with all the terrible things she has done and threatened to do in the future, I believe that there is good in her. Until I came to Mahora, she had never once attacked any of her fellow students – and although Asuna might disagree -" He broke off to look at Asuna.

The girl nodded her head in reply. "Yeah, yeah. After seeing her fight with Natsu and Gray, I think that you're right. When we fought her back then she took it easy on us for sure."

A look of surprise came across the boy's face face. It was so cute! "Oh. Nice. And um, thank you, Asuna-san. I appreciate that."

A smile passed between the two of them, causing Kazumi to pump a fist in victory. Her plan was already a success and Negi had not even finished answering the question. She was amazing! And maybe had a lot of potential as a psychologist too. Something to consider if she ever got bored of being a reporter.

The young teacher coughed to clear his throat before continuing. "Ahem. Anyway, in conclusion, I think that she can be saved if someone puts in the effort to save her. Right now I am in the best position to do it, and I promise that I will give it my best shot. I will succeed my father's hope in cursing her to this place. I will not let this legacy of his be wasted."

And there it was. The final piece of information Kazumi had been missing which caused the argument between the two to now make perfect sense

What it boiled down to was Negi's desire to become closer to his father coming into conflict with Asuna's protective nature. A son's love for his father waging against… something on Asuna's side. A feeling that verged on sisterly concern? A bud of romantic interest in the young boy? Either one was possible, and regardless of which one it turned out to be it was no wonder that the two had been so entrenched in their respective positions.

Negi turn towards Kazumi and bowed. "Thank you Kazumi-san. Thank you for helping me put my feelings into words." The boy smiled in thanks as he spoke and Asakura felt her heart flutter as it did.

Damn that just was not fair. Not at all! Kazumi turned her face away as she tried to regain control over her own thoughts. She would _not_ coo again. No matter how tempting it was. She wouldn't!

"Alright Negi. I get it," Asuna said neutrally. "Eva-chan, for all of her many faults in the past, does deserve the second chance your dad gave her. Other than her duel with us and that little flare-up with Natsu and Gray, the woman has been completely unremarkable during her time here at Mahora. I'm not a fan of this, not by any stretch, but I do get where you're coming from."

She sighed once more. "For your sake I'll let bygones be bygones. 'Kay?"

Negi's eyes almost sparkled as he gave Asuna a hug. She returned his embrace warmly, smiling softly as she did. "Let's go and get you a teacher now."

Behind them, Kazumi grinned widely. It wasn't often that she played the role of peacemaker. She was more suited to the role of kicking the hornets nest to see what came flying out. But doing this every once in a while could be a nice change in pace. She almost felt happy enough to join them in their celebratory group hug.

But only almost. A good reporter needed to have clear boundaries between the story and their self. And those boundaries had already taken enough of a hit with her inexplicable desire to coo at the young boy.

"So, are we going to enter the cabin or not?" Kazumi said, the grin still firmly stuck in place on her face. "'Cause its hot out here and that cabin's got an air-condition unit on it. There's only so much sweat a girl can take on a beautiful day like this."

Asuna's head jerked up from where she and Negi were hugging one another. "Seriously, Kazumi? Seriously? Just interrupt the nice moment that Negi and I were having here like it's not even important why don't you."

"Eh, you'll survive," the redhead said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, it's hot and the two of you came here to accomplish something. Let's get this show off the road and indoors already."

The twin-tailed girl grimaced but broke her embrace with Negi. "Fine. Whatever. Stay put with Negi for a moment while I go peak inside. It might not be safe to enter at the moment. _Adeat!_ "

A giant white fan appeared in Asuna's right hand in a flash of light, seemingly from out of nowhere. Kazumi had to suppress the urge to whistle in awe.

Well that confirmed it. Negi and Asuna really were involved in magic. Which meant that the story they would write together would be one for the ages.

It was a good thing that they had such a capable reporter to keep track of things for them.

* * *

Eva hummed thoughtfully to herself as she thumbed the open page of a grimoire while she relaxed in the only unbroken chair left in her cabin. Dalamar the Dark had been a brilliant wizard in his age. Attempting to break his coded grimoire was an intellectual hobby of hers to pass the time.

Just she finished turning the page, a sneeze tore through her body. "Achoo!" She wiped one hand across her face in annoyance, trying to get rid of any offending particulates that might have stuck to her skin.

"Damn dust." Eva muttered to herself. "The place just hasn't been right since the idiot broke everything."

Eva turned her attention back to the grimoire. If you interpreted the fifteenth rune as the beginning of a new set, then maybe...

Eva sneezed once more. And then sneezed again. And again. And again. A feeling of dread came across her as a familiar scent reached her nose.

Oh no. Oh, no no no no no!

This was not just another dust sneeze. Nor was it something caused by a random bit of pollen. It was far, far worse. For the sneeze had been borne from both pollen _and_ freshly cut grass. The smell of which continually grew stronger.

That goddamn sadist who dared call himself headmaster of this school had asked someone to cut the grass around her cabin! This must have been in revenge for her gallivanting around Kyoto while he forcibly kept her free from Mahora's magical barriers.

Oh God in Hell below! If she was already sneezing in her living room the vile stuff had already infiltrated her entire house.

It was time to activate the emergency countermeasures.

"Chachamaru! Turn on all of the air-ionizers and humidifiers at once! The damn plants are trying to kill me again."

 **End**

 **A/N:** This chapter is another one to get the hack and slash treatment. Heavy on the hack and slash. I've probably kept only 25% of the original material. I must also confess that one reason for my inclusion of a discussion on grammar in this chapter is due to my immense annoyance at how those particular forms are abused throughout fan fiction, bringing ruin and pain to untold numbers of eyes as they devastate otherwise good stories. Besides, it also allowed me to finally work in a classroom scene for Negi. He IS a teacher after all. A character facet of which most fan fiction written on him will usually only pay lip service to, let alone feature in any meaningful way.

This is also pretty exciting for me because this is the last of the old chapters. My next release will be entirely brand spanking new! Please bear with me, though, for the wait may take some time.

To the comments!

 _Kazumi Asakura:_ She's a fun addition to the story for me. I always enjoyed her in Negima canon and wished that we had seen more of her. Being a cute and sexy redhead might also have been a factor in it as well. That being said, the author used her to great effect and kept her true to herself. It will be a hard act to improve upon.

She is currently ignorant of Negi's struggles and some of his driving motivations, but like any good reporter she will soon start digging for the truth. The more she learns about him, the more invested she will become in ensuring that her precious teacher (and future lover) remains capable of smiling at those around him. She will remain a support type character and will join the other girls in making sure that Negi is kept grounded.

I'm planning to have her consciously fall for him over time. She's not a tsundere type like other girls and is definitely an assertive type. At the moment she is somewhat attracted to Negi, but it has yet to bloom into anything like that of her classmates. As Negi starts growing and maturing, both in body and in spirit, her attraction will deepen until one day she decides to say "Screw it. I'm taking what I want."

I've got it planned out. And boy will it be fun.

 _Return of Class 3-A:_ The 'Growth' arc will heavily feature Negi and the girls in Negima. For those of you who prefer FT over Negima, I ask that you bear with it as Natsu will be the only one with a recurring role. The arc needs to happen this way because the Negima faction is _far_ less powerful than the FT crew at this point in the story. They need time to build up their strength and enemies from which to gain experience. Otherwise this story would be how Natsu and the rest came into Negima, kicked butt, and ignored everyone else.

Hm… that's actually a good idea for a crossover. It won't happen in this fic, but if someone out there want to do it then go ahead. I'll offer myself as a sounding board to help you flesh things out.

 _Ayaka Yukihiro:_ The busty blonde bombshell of class 3-A. Iincho. Asuna's closest friend. And in my opinion also one of the creepiest characters in the entire manga. She will be used, but… don't expect to see too much of her. A little bit goes a long way.

 ** _The Pairing List as of 2/15/2019:_**

Negi: Chisame, Kazumi, ?, ?, and possibly ?. I could probably throw in half of his class – as well as a few others like Takane D. Goodman – but nope. I had to draw the line somewhere or else it would just explode and take over the story. Besides, I still find myself waffling over 2 of my hidden choices every time I look at my story. I quite honestly might end up changing at least one of them if I feel like it would be in the best interests of the plot, but ugh! It's stressful to even consider.

Thankfully, for it to be a Negima fanfic the girls will be throwing themselves at Negi, so I will have plenty of room to construct a romance between Negi and virtually any other girl not already paired off. And… expect to see a death or two among this large selection of girls and women as I try to keep all of you in suspense.

Natsu: Erza, Chao, Wendy, and ?. Because I couldn't see anymore than 4 being with the guy with the way I am shaping everyone's respective characterizations. Nor could I see any of the other girls surviving the chosen 4. And unlike with Negi, Natsu's girls are set in stone. There will be no changes or additions.

Konoka and Setsuna: Because it just works so gosh darn well.

Happy and Carla: Because I want the two morons to finally embrace their feelings for one another.

Lucy and ?

Eva and ?

Gray and (eventually) ?

Takamichi and ?

Chamo and a lonely Iron Maiden. Because Karma can really be a bitch.

And many more which will remain a secret. Additionally, expect the two groups of multi-pairings to be very different in terms of social dynamics. Natsu and Negi are very different characters with very different viewpoints. I want to explore two different types of multi-pairing instead of just going with the cookie cutter approach and doing the same thing.

Unlike in most harem/polyamory/multi-pairing fics the women involved will still keep their brains. There _will_ be some drama between the girls and the guy in both groupings, and Natsu's group will feature at least one explosive fight.

 **Recommended Reading:** This time I would like to recommend _It's Just that Time of Year Again_ by The Wumbologist. This is a fun Fairy Tail fanfic featuring Natsu and an older Wendy as the pairing. It takes the viewpoint that Dragon Slayers are, in certain ways, a little closer to animals than we might think. It also bears on some of what will be discussed in the next chapter of this story. Read it and enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Elsil


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